Severe storm floods Atlanta apartments causing chaos for residents

ATLANTA - Severe thunderstorms that swept through metro Atlanta Thursday evening left residents at a Hollywood Road apartment complex without a livable home after water poured through her ceiling and flooded nearly every room.

What they're saying:

Sherette Howell, who lives at the Reserve at Hollywood apartments in the 1600 block of Hollywood Road, said the problems began with a leak but escalated quickly. "My ceiling was leaking at first, now it’s flooded, my whole house is flooded," Howell said.

Water streamed through the bathroom, kitchen, living room, bedroom and even her walk-in closet. Concerned for her safety, Howell turned off the power in her apartment. "I don’t know what I’m gonna do because my lights, I had to turn my lights out because there's so much water coming from the ceiling," she said.

Another resident let FOX 5 crews into her apartment to show the mess left behind.

Dig deeper:

The flooding occurred as the National Weather Service in Peachtree City issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for central Fulton and southeastern Cobb counties. The storm was packing 60 mph winds and quarter-sized hail. 

The FOX 5 Storm Team received multiple reports of trees down across metro Atlanta, including the nearby Hightower Road where a tree brought down a power line and blocked the roadway.

What we don't know:

It was not immediately clear how much rain fell locally or why it ended up coming into the apartments.

Fire crews told Howell the water in her apartment likely originated from roof damage. 

She said management promised maintenance would respond, but as of Thursday night, she said no one had arrived.

FOX 5 has not heard back from apartment management.

What's next:

With her apartment soggy and without electricity, Howell said she expects to press for relocation. "My next move would probably be seeing them in the morning. Since they hadn’t came tonight, and they got to move me. The house is flooded. They got to move me," she said.