North Georgia Floods Leave Many Owners Without Flood Coverage

The Toccoa River reached a record 18 feet on Thursday morning, Nov. 5, a river gauge showed. At least 57 people were rescued before floodwaters began to recede, the Fannin County Emergency Management Agency in Georgia said.

Insurance agents in north Georgia reported widespread damage after the record flooding hit the area Thursday, Nov. 5. An agent who answered the phone at Appalachian Insurance Services in Blue Ridge, Georgia, near the Tennessee line, said: “It’s devastating. I have cried and prayed and cried and prayed.”

How much rain fell, and how high did the river rise?

As much as 10 inches of rain fell overnight Wednesday between Blue Ridge and Ellijay, and runoff quickly overwhelmed streams and rivers, the Associated Press and other news sites reported.

The storms dumped rain throughout the mountainous area that drains into the Toccoa River, which flows between Copperhill, Tennessee, and McCaysville, Georgia. The Toccoa flows into the Ocoee River, where the Tennessee Valley Authority said it was managing high water levels at three hydroelectric dams, AP reported.

The waters completely submerged some homes and buildings, AP and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The takeaway: The river set a record, and 10 inches of overnight rain overwhelmed local waterways.

Why did most property owners lack flood coverage?

Some property owners carried flood insurance, but most did not, agents said, citing the town’s decades without flooding on this scale.

Cody Webb, an agent at Mountain Insurance in Blue Ridge, said his office escaped damage. Multiple policyholders contacted the agency, but most did not have flood coverage. “People were expecting rain, but no one expected this much,” Webb said Friday morning.

Shelby Patterson, a commercial lines agent at The Insurance Mart who lives in McCaysville, said at least four policyholders had reported heavy damage from the flood. Two of them had flood coverage. “But two only had homeowners’ insurance, and they are freaking out,” Patterson said.

The takeaway: Flood insurance reached some owners, but most owners who contacted agents had no flood policy.

What damage did McCaysville’s second flood inflict?

It was McCaysville’s second flood this year, AP reported. In August, a flash flood from mountain rains and runoff damaged the police station, post office, and a number of homes and businesses. The renovated police station reopened just last week, AP noted.

After two floods in three months, “I don’t know what God is trying to tell me,” Police Chief Michael Early told AP.

Patterson said floodwaters brought loads of mud and silt into buildings in McCaysville and Blue Ridge. After the water receded, residents carried bucket after bucket of mud out of their homes. Another resident’s propane tank exploded, compounding the damage, Patterson said.

The takeaway: McCaysville faced heavy damage and a mud cleanup just weeks after reopening its police station following an August flood.

Who was handling claims as floodwaters receded?

Dickey McCay Insurance in Copperhill, just across the river, closed Friday because of the flooding. A voicemail directed policyholders to call a claims-handling phone number or report claims to their carriers.

All American Public Adjusters has offices in McCaysville. Its manager was in Pensacola, Florida, still working wind claims from Hurricane Isaias, which hit the Pensacola area Oct. 9.

The takeaway: Local agencies began directing claims, while All American Public Adjusters’ manager remained in Florida on hurricane work.

For property owners without flood coverage, the next test is the claims process, with local agencies already directing policyholders to file as residents remove mud from their homes.