Heavy rain causes road collapse and power outages in Hall County
Hall County floodwaters submerge mobile homes
Crews are working around the clock to replace a washed-out pipe and rebuild Falcon Crest Drive following severe storm erosion.
HALL COUNTY, Ga. - Heavy rains caused severe erosion on Falcon Crest Drive in Hall County on Friday afternoon, washing away entire portions of the road and creating a massive hole.
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What we know:
The storm damage caused a large tree to collapse into the hole, pulling down multiple power lines and leaving several parts of the neighborhood without power. Hall County repair crews arrived on the scene Friday afternoon and plan to work through the night to address the destruction.
Big picture view:
The severe storm system also swept through a nearby mobile home park in Hall County, causing significant devastation to residents who live day to day.
County officials are taking an all-hands-on-deck approach into the night as repair teams focus on stabilizing the area and restoring infrastructure.
What's next:
County officials explained that workers are bringing in a new pipe to replace the old underground pipe washed out by the storm.
Once workers finish replacing the pipe, crews will rebuild the surface of Falcon Crest Drive to make it passable within 24 hours.
What they're saying:
Falcon Crest Drive resident Michael Ilardi said he was on his way to work when the storm struck. "The way water runs through this area through these hills over here. It’s a lot of erosion, so I’m not surprised that something like this happened, but it’s bigger than I expected," Ilardi said.
Ilardi noted the impact on local power, saying, "Everyone around here lost power for a while," and added, "it swallowed that whole tree up, this is nuts."
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet released an exact timeline for when power will be fully restored to all affected homes in the neighborhood.
It remains unconfirmed how many total residents at the mobile home park sustained property loss during the storm.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 5 news reporter Larry Spruill, who reported live from the scene on Falcon Crest Drive, as well as interviews with local resident Michael Ilardi and Hall County officials.