A band of storms that passed through the metro area Sunday brought as much as 7 inches of rain to pockets north of Atlanta, flooding neighborhoods, overwhelming bridges and even washing away a large chunk of road.
Flowery Branch, located just north of the Gwinnett County line, was hit hardest. Mayor Mike Miller declared a state of emergency after concluding the flooding had created a “major disruption of routine affairs, business and government operations within the city.” The declaration gives the mayor added authority “to protect life and property or to take appropriate measures to bring the emergency situation under control,” according to a press release from the city.
Heavy rains flooded a quarter-mile section of Atlanta Highway in the south Hall County town and completely washed away a section of Stephens Road near Pippsissewa. The road will be closed until further notice, officials said.
Miller urged residents to avoid the downtown area, posting on Facebook that seven inches of precipitation washed out a previously compromised culvert leading to Lake Lanier.
“We have several feet of water that can’t get through to the lake,” he said.
The downpours added another foot overnight to Lanier, which now stands more than 2 feet above full pool.
So far, there have been no reports of injuries or evacuations in the Flowery Branch area.
Elsewhere, rising waters temporarily shut down two bridges in Johns Creek and knocked out power to roughly 13,000 Cobb County residents. As of 6 p.m., around 9,000 homes remained without power, according to Georgia Power.
Meanwhile, in Gwinnett County, first responders were kept busy by a number of residential fires, a gas leak and a downed tree that blocked part of I-85 near Buford Highway early Sunday morning, spokesman Tommy Rutledege said.
In Duluth, rain-swelled Long Lake caused flooding in parts of the Riverbrooke neighborhood.
And in Sandy Springs, firefighters rescued about 20 horses late Sunday afternoon from flooded stables at the Huntcliff River Club along the Chattahoochee River.
“We were able to get the animals out before the waters got too high,” said Sandy Springs Fire and Rescue Capt. Robert Rogers. The horses will be temporarily stabled at the Wills Park Equestrian Center in Alpharetta.
Atlanta fared better than the suburbs, as several major outdoor events went ahead as scheduled.
President Barack Obama finished his commencement address to Morehouse College Class of 2013 just ahead of early afternoon thunderstorms.
Atlanta Streets Alive proved fortunate in its scheduling, starting just as the storms were ending.
The Braves started the finale of their three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers nearly two hours later than scheduled because of the rain, which caused a second delay in the 6th inning of the game, eventually won by the Braves 5-2.
Sunny skies and warmer temperatures will return Monday, with a high of 86 forecast, said Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz.
Dry conditions should prevail most of the week, though there is a 40 percent chance of precipitation Wednesday and Thursday, Nitz said.
—Photographer Hyosub Shin contributed to this report.
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