McCaysville continues recovery following severe weekend flooding

MCCAYSVILLE, Ga. - Downtown McCaysville is slowly recovering after a severe weekend storm dumped several inches of rain in eight hours, creating chest-deep floodwaters that damaged the town's water infrastructure and forced a boil water advisory.

McCaysville flood recovery progress

What we know:

Floodwaters reached chest-deep levels on Saturday night, according to the city's police chief and public safety director, leaving behind heavy mud across downtown streets.

Roads have reopened, but many local businesses, including Mexico Loco, remain closed because contaminated municipal water prevents them from operating.

To assist affected residents, the Tennessee Valley Authority is trucking in clean water supplies.

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet confirmed when the boil water advisory will be lifted or when business operations can safely resume.

Authorities have also not provided an exact timeline for when infrastructure repairs in McCaysville and neighboring Copperhill, Tennessee, will be completed.

Fannin County storm drainage issues

The backstory:

Georgia Department of Transportation officials stated that the storm dropped several inches of rain over Fannin County in just eight hours.

Public safety leaders noted that gravel and silt from nearby State Route 5 construction swept into town during the downpour.

Rising waters in the Toccoa River bumped the bottom of the downtown bridge, pushing floating debris into storm drains and completely clogging the drainage system.

Local McCaysville business owners react

What they're saying:

McCaysville Police Chief and Public Safety Director Michael Earley explained that runoff funneled heavily into downtown along Blue Ridge Drive.

Leslie Murray, who receives her water through the city, said she relied on trucked-in bottled water because her home lacked sufficient faucet water to boil.

Diana Leal, whose family owns Mexico Loco, expressed immense gratitude for the community support, sharing that seeing neighbors reunite to help each other makes her emotional.

GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale released the following statement on the flooding: 

"On Saturday night, an overwhelming storm system moved through Fannin County dropping more than seven inches of rain in eight hours, resulting in Flash Food conditions. It’s the type of storm that has less than a 1% chance of impacting this area on any given year. No project or drainage system is built to handle a storm cell of this magnitude or the resulting flash flooding that occurred. The storm overwhelmed drainage systems and swept through roadways and construction sites. GDOT and contracted crews worked to efficiently recover these systems and SR 5 specifically was reopened after 20 hours of cleanup. We want to thank everyone who assisted in the clean-up and assure this community that we will look into mitigation strategies in the future."

The U.S. Postal Service also released the following statement regarding the status of the McCaysville Post Office: 

"The Postal Service appreciates its customers and always strives to provide the best possible service. As a result of recent flooding in the area, we are providing this update about the McCaysville Post Office. The facility remains open with modified P.O. Box operations.  While some P.O. Boxes remain accessible,  there are affected customers who may need to retrieve their P.O. Box mail at the retail counter with proper photo identification during regular operating hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday.  We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate our customers’ patience as we work to restore full service as quickly as possible."