Georgia Flooding Claims First Life as Julie Barrs, 56, Dies in Murray County

Georgia flooding has claimed its first confirmed life. Julie Barrs, 56, of Ellijay died on Thursday, November 5, 2026, after floodwaters swept her car away on Old CCC Camp Road in Murray County, in the north Georgia mountains. The Murray County Medical Examiner's Office and Sheriff Jimmy Davenport confirmed her death on Friday, November 6, turning a record-breaking flood that had so far spared lives into a deadly disaster.

Key Points

• Julie Barrs, 56, of Ellijay is the Georgia flooding's first confirmed victim, after her car was swept away on Old CCC Camp Road in Murray County on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
• Her death was confirmed on Friday, November 6, by the Murray County Medical Examiner's Office and Sheriff Jimmy Davenport.
• At least 117 people were rescued across Georgia and Tennessee by Friday afternoon, as swift-water teams pulled residents from submerged homes and businesses.
• The Toccoa River crested at a record 18.05 feet at about 7 a.m. on Thursday, beating the previous record of 17.75 feet set in February 1990, after 10.28 inches of rain fell in six hours.
• Governor Brian Kemp declared a seven-day state of emergency for Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties.

What Happened

The rain began falling hard late on Wednesday, November 4, and did not let up. In the north Georgia mountains, 10.28 inches of rain fell in just six hours, and 11.19 inches in twelve hours, a deluge the National Weather Service called a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event.

On Thursday morning, the river crested at 18.05 feet at about 7 a.m., a record that topped the 17.75-foot mark set in February 1990. McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, two small towns astride the state line along the river, were swamped. Flash flood emergencies were issued early on Thursday as water poured into downtown streets, homes and businesses, in some places several feet deep. In Murray County to the west, Julie Barrs was driving on Old CCC Camp Road when floodwaters swept her car away. She died on Thursday, but officials confirmed her identity only on Friday. By Friday afternoon, at least 117 people had been rescued across Georgia and Tennessee.

Background and Context

The Toccoa River starts in the north Georgia mountains and flows north into Tennessee, where it becomes the Ocoee River. McCaysville and Copperhill are twin towns on either side of the Georgia-Tennessee line, and the river runs through both towns.

This was the second disastrous flood in three months for the two towns. In August, another flood hit the same streets, an event the weather service classed as a 1-in-500-year occurrence. McCaysville had only just reopened its renovated police building the previous week when the November flood arrived. Thursday's crest was the worst the river has ever recorded.

Georgia Flooding: How the Record Toccoa River Crest Turned Deadly

The danger of this flood was not only the height of the river, but how fast the water rose. More than ten inches of rain in six hours turns mountain roads into streams within minutes, and a car caught on a low road can be swept away before the driver understands what is happening. Most flood deaths in the United States happen this way, in vehicles.

Old CCC Camp Road runs through low ground in Murray County, and when the creeks that feed the Toccoa overflowed, the road went under. Barrs, 56, was a resident of Ellijay, a town in neighbouring Gilmer County. The confirmation on Friday changed the character of the disaster: until then, officials had been able to say that, for all the rescues and all the damage, no one had died.

Reactions and What Officials Said

The Murray County Medical Examiner's Office and Sheriff Jimmy Davenport confirmed Barrs's death on Friday, November 6, identifying her as a 56-year-old from Ellijay and saying her car had been swept away on Old CCC Camp Road the day before. Their confirmation made her the first confirmed death of the flood.

Governor Brian Kemp had already declared a seven-day state of emergency on Thursday for Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties. McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley had described the flooding in his town as "catastrophic" as the water rose on Thursday, when the city imposed a mandatory 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. Emergency officials urged residents never to drive through flooded roads.

Why It Matters

A single death changes how a flood is remembered. The Toccoa crest was already a record, and the rescue count was already in the triple figures, but the confirmation that Julie Barrs died makes this the deadliest flood the region has seen in years, and the second disaster in three months for towns still rebuilding from the last one.

It also matters because the pattern is repeating. Two floods classed as once-in-centuries events, one in August and one in November, hit the same small towns within a single season. The same storm then moved up the Eastern Seaboard, bringing flood advisories from North Carolina to Massachusetts.

What Happens Next

Recovery in the four Georgia counties under the state of emergency will take weeks at least. Homes and businesses in McCaysville and Copperhill must be pumped out and inspected before anyone can move back in, and roads and bridges checked for hidden damage.

Officials have not said whether more deaths will be confirmed. No other fatalities had been reported by Friday afternoon, but search teams were still working through flooded areas, and the full toll of a flood is often not known until the water is gone. The state of emergency runs for seven days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was the first confirmed victim of the Georgia flooding?
Julie Barrs, 56, of Ellijay, Georgia. She died on Thursday, November 5, 2026, after floodwaters swept her car away on Old CCC Camp Road in Murray County. Her death was confirmed on Friday, November 6, by the Murray County Medical Examiner's Office and Sheriff Jimmy Davenport.

How high did the Toccoa River get?
The river crested at a record 18.05 feet at about 7 a.m. on Thursday, November 5, beating the previous record of 17.75 feet set in February 1990, after 10.28 inches of rain fell in six hours.

How many people were rescued?
At least 117 people were rescued across Georgia and Tennessee by Friday afternoon, November 6, as swift-water teams pulled residents from submerged homes, businesses and vehicles.

Which counties are under a state of emergency?
Governor Brian Kemp declared a seven-day state of emergency for Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties in north Georgia.

Was this the first flood to hit McCaysville this year?
No. It was the second disastrous flood in three months for McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee. An August flood was classed by the weather service as a 1-in-500-year event, and McCaysville had just reopened its renovated police building the previous week.

More on US News Pulse: our report on the flash flood emergency as the Toccoa River neared its record crest, the record crest that flooded the Georgia border towns as rescues topped 100, and the record king tides that flooded California and Florida coasts in a historic week.