AUSTELL, Ga. — Neighborhoods, schools and even roller coasters at Six Flags Over Georgia remained awash in several feet of murky brown water Tuesday as an emerging sun shed light on the widespread flood damage.
So far, at least nine deaths in Georgia and Alabama were blamed on the torrential downpours in the Southeast.
In Tennessee, a man was still missing after jumping into the fast-moving water on a bet. Boats and trucks evacuated 120 residents from a retirement center as nearby creeks rose, and several hundred others were ferried from low-lying neighborhoods to dry land.
Several hundred people in Georgia took refuge at shelters, and officials worked to clean up and repair washed-out roads and bridges. Georgia officials estimated $250 million in damage. The storm left nine people dead in its wake, including a toddler swept from his father’s arms.
After several days of steady rain, the ground was saturated from Alabama through Georgia into eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. The floods came just months after an epic two-year drought in the region ended.
Georgia emergency officials warned residents not to return to their homes too soon because the lingering water was still dangerous. Some ignored officials and had to be rescued.
As Peachtree Creek in Atlanta began to recede, residents were packing moving vans with furniture and commiserating about water-logged apartments.
“I’m toast,” said Penny Freeman, who moved into a first-floor unit five days ago. “I don’t have a place to stay. I’m losing my mind right now.”
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue asked President Barack Obama to declare a state of emergency.
Cordell Albert and her husband, Christopher, moved their valuables to the second floor of their Powder Springs home. The couple waded through knee-deep water before a raft picked them up.
“I feel lost,” she said. “I feel homeless.”
