North Georgia braces for creek rise

As crews in Northwest Georgia prepare for 3 to 5 inches of rain across the region, sharpening chainsaws and loading up barricades seemed even more important than usual with memories of September’s floods fresh on the mind.

On Monday morning, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for 68 Georgia counties, including Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield and Murray. The watch extends through Wednesday morning.

“Any time you have a major disaster the level of preparedness rises a little,” said Jerry DeBerry, training officer for the Catoosa County Fire Department.

The flood watches did not extend into Tennessee on Monday, but forecasts called for 1 to 3 inches of steady rain across Southeast Tennessee.

But Georgians can expect the worst of it, forecasters said.

“The entire North Georgia area is under that risk,” said Sean Ryan, meteorologist with the Weather Service office in Peachtree City, Ga.

News Channel 9 meteorologist David Glenn said it’s a tricky forecast because Chattanooga is right on the edge of the system. He said Calhoun, Ga., will likely see much more rain than Calhoun, Tenn.

“Fifty to 75 miles is going to make all the difference in the world,” Mr. Glenn said.

An upper-level disturbance coming from the west could combine with tropical moisture from the remnants of former Hurricane Ida, dumping 3 to 5 inches across the northern half of the Georgia. Some spots could see as much as 8 inches before dawn Wednesday, he said.

“Anywhere in North Georgia could see that much rainfall,” Mr. DeBerry said.

That much rain likely will mean swollen creeks and downed trees, forecaster said. They also expect “fairly rapid rises” on area creeks, especially in the mountains, and caution residents in low-lying areas to be careful of flooding.

Mr. DeBerry and other emergency workers spent Monday checking the fire department’s boats and rescue equipment.

Dade County EMA Director Alex Case said his crews were doing the same, as well as sharpening saws, gathering roadblocks and watching the forecasts.

“We prepare as best we can,” he said.

Officials in East Ridge, which was hit hard by September rains, weren’t expecting any flooding, but public safety spokesman Officer Erik Hopkins said it could turn into an “evolving situation” if waters began to rise.

“We’ll just monitor the situation and keep an eye on our most vulnerable spots,” he said.