Storm cleanup continues after winds, flooding leave damage across metro Atlanta and North Georgia
Residents in metro Atlanta and across North Georgia are picking up the pieces following an intense overnight thunderstorm that brought severe flash flooding, washed out roadways, and left thousands without power.
In Stone Mountain, near the line to Clarkston, one neighborhood near Northern Avenue was left with streets covered in debris, downed power lines, and snapped trees.
Marc Sugrue showed up to his house to see some of the damage for the first time. A tree fell on his house, which he and his wife closed on almost a week ago to the day.
"This morning I was alerted by Georgia Power that we had no power, and then shortly after that I got a text message from my neighbor saying, 'Hey, you need to get here. A tree fell on your home.' That was a little shocking for me and my wife. It's our first home. I haven't really processed it yet, but yeah, there's quite a bit of damage."
CBS News Atlanta spent the day with Sugrue at his home while crews worked to remove the tree from his house. Once the tree was fully removed, Sugrue went inside the house to survey the interior damage.
The ceiling was open. Brick, insulation, water, and other elements covered one room in the corner of the house where the tree fell.
"This was going to be the nursery, or that's what we were calling it," Sugrue said. "You can see down here it's just a shotgun of brick.
Sugrue said he's looking for the positives in a negative situation and that he thanks God he and his family were not in the house.
"My neighbor said they put in a skylight. I did it myself, DIY. I don't know what's next, but I'm just hoping it's not as bad as it seems," he said.
Sugrue said he now has to figure out how to navigate insurance and other required services while hoping he can lean on the community for support mentally and financially with repairs.
Flooding damages buildings in Gilmer County
Along Cox Creek in Gilmer County, rising waters surrounded nearby properties before receding early in the morning.
According to Gilmer County officials, approximately 3.9 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours. The downpour knocked out power to nearly 4,000 residents and caused significant structural damage to infrastructure, including washing out sections of Highway 52 near Hancock Drive.
At the Coosawattee Shriner's Club on Shrine Club Drive, floodwaters reached knee-deep outside and inside the building. Video captured by club member Mark Simmons shows water rushing straight out of Cox Creek, across the road, and directly into the clubhouse.
"I'm guessing around 10 o'clock last night we saw the storm coming in," Simmons said. "So a couple steps ahead of us was up to my knee. It completely flooded our entire clubhouse here."
Simmons, who has been with the club for two decades, says he has never seen flooding of this magnitude in the area.
"My stomach just dropped because we're a small local shrine club here and we don't have the funds, cause you know flood damage insurance not gonna cover all the damage," Simmons said. "It's just a stomach drop like 'Oh my gosh, what do we do now' kind of feeling."
The severe flooding dealt a major blow to the local charitable group's operational hub and fundraising efforts for pediatric care.
"This is the heartbeat of local clubs for the Gilmer Pickens County area. All the Shriners get together and do our fundraising that we do for the local community ... and even support the Shriners Hospital that you see that give care to children," Simmons said.
As cleanup efforts got underway, Simmons continued to discover additional damage at every corner of the facility. Floodwaters ruined historic keepsakes and damaged parade vehicles used annually for community events.
"And not just devastating our club, but some of the paintings we've had on the walls for years are now flood damaged, so we're gonna lose some of these paintings we've had since the club's been here," he said.
Because the damage is not covered by insurance, the club faces a long and uncertain road to restoration.
"The remediation crew ... they're gonna spend the next day or so getting all the sheetrock, insulation pulled out, fans to cool every driver thing out with dehumidifiers," Simmons explained. "After that, we don't know. We're gonna have to see with local contractors and stuff what it's gonna take to put this back, but again, we're a small club on a small budget, so it's volunteer."
The Coosawattee Shriner's Club is receiving donations and volunteers to help make repairs. That information can be found on their platforms.
Emergency responders and recovery crews have been working around the clock since overnight hours, clearing debris and addressing road hazards as floodwaters continue to subside across the region.
