Heavy rain moved in fast Wednesday night, flooding streets and knocking down trees and power lines across the metro area.
In Woodstock, about 30 homes were left stranded in the Hickory Glen subdivision after rain washed away the ground under a road, according to Lt. Jay Baker with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Stoney Creek Road was shut down in the 600 block, and authorities were searching for a location to construct a temporary road, Baker said.
Flash flood warnings were issued until 1:30 a.m. Thursday for parts of Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, Fayette and Coweta counties. More than 3 inches of rain had fallen by 9 p.m., and more is in the forecast, according to the National Weather Service.
Flooding temporarily blocked all lanes I-285 southbound, south of Chamblee Tucker Road, according to GDOT. Flooding also forced the DOT to close the ramp from I-85 southbound to Camp Creek Parkway.
In north Fulton County, storms damaged a dam near Roswell Road, causing a gas leak in Sandy Springs, Sharon Kraun, city spokeswoman, said early Thursday. The gas leak forced the evacuation of 100 residents from The Falls at Sandy Springs apartments and the Red Cross was assisting those displaced, Kraun said around 2 a.m.
In southeast Atlanta, one person had to be rescued from a Macon Drive home, according to the fire department. In south Fulton County, Brookdale Park in East Point looked more like a lake due to rising waters.
About 5,000 Georgia Power customers lost electricity from downed power lines, Jacob Hawkins, a spokesman for the utility, said shortly before 10 p.m. Crews were expected to work through the night to restore power, he said.
The Atlanta weather also caused delays at the airport, where arriving flights were delayed an average of two hours, according to the FAA.
Channel 2 Action News Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns said deep tropical moisture is surging northward to the southeast from a Bermuda High in the western Atlantic, bringing rainy weather to Atlanta. Newly formed Tropical Storm Andrea’s path is expected to churn toward north Florida Thursday night and then into southeast Georgia and off the coast by Friday.
“The heaviest rain is on the east side of the storm, so it looks like the Georgia coast will see the worst of the rain,” Burns said.
For the metro area, scattered showers are expected to continue Thursday and Friday, according to Brad Nitz, Channel 2 meteorologist. There is a 60 percent chance of rain for both days, he said.
The rain and clouds should begin clearing in time for the weekend, Nitz said.
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