Toccoa River Record Crest Floods Georgia Border Towns as Rescues Top 100

The Toccoa River crested at a record 18.05 feet on Thursday morning, November 5, 2026, flooding the Georgia-Tennessee border towns of McCaysville and Copperhill and forcing more than 100 water rescues as Governor Brian Kemp declared a seven-day state of emergency. The Toccoa River record crest beat the previous mark of 17.75 feet set in February 1990, after 8 to 11 inches of rain fell across the North Georgia mountains late Wednesday into early Thursday. By late Thursday afternoon no deaths or injuries had been reported.

Key Points

• The Toccoa River crested at a record 18.05 feet at about 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 5, 2026, beating the previous record of 17.75 feet set in February 1990.
• More than 100 people were rescued across Georgia and Tennessee by late Thursday afternoon, including more than 80 in Fannin County, Georgia, and 58 to 68 in Polk County, Tennessee.
• Governor Brian Kemp declared a seven-day state of emergency for Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties, with a multi-agency response led by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
• McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley called the flooding "catastrophic" as the city imposed a mandatory 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.
• McCaysville was placed under a boil-water advisory and Fannin County schools closed on Friday, November 6.

What Happened

The rain began late Wednesday and fell hardest overnight across the mountains of northern Georgia and neighbouring Polk County, Tennessee, dropping 8 to 11 inches. Much of it drained into the Toccoa River, which rose fast through the night. Police in McCaysville ordered immediate evacuations just before 3 a.m., and rescue crews began pulling residents from homes and vehicles as water rose in low-lying areas along the river.

By dawn, downtown McCaysville was under 6 to 7 feet of water, with floodwater over the roofs of some homes. The city declared a state of emergency shortly after 5 a.m. Across the state line, the same river, known as the Ocoee once it crosses into Tennessee, hit major flood stage in Copperhill. The river kept rising until about 7:00 a.m., when the gauge recorded the crest of 18.05 feet, and rescue work went on through the day until the total passed 100.

Background and Context

McCaysville sits on the Toccoa River in Fannin County, in the far north Georgia mountains, directly across the state line from Copperhill, Tennessee. The same river is known as the Ocoee once it crosses into Tennessee, so one flood wave hits both towns in turn.

The storm is the same slow-moving system that flooded the Southwest earlier in the week, where record flooding and a statewide emergency in Arizona came before the rain moved east. In Georgia, the system stalled over the mountains, dropping its heaviest rain on the steep valleys of the Toccoa basin, where runoff gathers fast. Up to 6 inches fell in just six hours at several gauges, a rainfall described by CNN as at least a 1-in-200-year event.

Toccoa River Record Crest: What the Numbers Mean

The crest figure matters because it turns an overnight emergency into a measurable historic event. At 18.05 feet, water covers the main streets of McCaysville, reaches into the ground floors of homes and shops, and makes ordinary roads impassable. The previous record, set in February 1990, had stood through more than three decades of storms.

The rescue numbers tell the same story from the human side. The first hours produced more than 30 rescues overnight, and the total kept climbing through the day as daylight let crews reach homes they could not find in the dark. More than 80 rescues in Fannin County and 58 to 68 in Polk County mean well over 100 people were pulled from the water in two small mountain towns, a scale of rescue work local emergency services rarely face. The rain explains the speed: 8 to 11 inches in less than a day, nearly all of it running straight into the river off steep slopes.

Reactions

McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley described the scale of the disaster in a single word, calling the flooding "catastrophic" as his officers worked through the night to get residents out of the water. The city followed with a mandatory curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., keeping residents off flooded streets overnight.

Governor Brian Kemp declared a seven-day state of emergency on Thursday afternoon for Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties, saying a multi-agency, multi-state response was under way and led by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. Emergency officials repeated the warning that applies to every flood: never drive through flooded roads, and never walk through moving water.

Why It Matters

The McCaysville flood shows how fast a mountain river can turn deadly when a slow-moving storm drops a season's worth of rain in a few hours. The town had little warning between the rain falling and the river leaving its banks, and the rescues that followed happened in the dark, in fast-moving water.

The declaration brings state help to a small rural area that cannot handle a disaster of this size alone. Fannin County and its neighbours are mountain communities with small emergency departments, and a flood that forces more than 100 rescues needs outside crews, equipment and shelter capacity. The same storm had already flooded the Southwest earlier in the week.

What Happens Next

Rescue work will continue until every trapped resident is found, with swift-water teams still working in McCaysville and Copperhill. Officials will then assess damage to homes, businesses, roads and bridges across the four counties.

The boil-water advisory in McCaysville will stay in place until water testing shows the supply is safe. Fannin County schools were closed on Friday, November 6, and the county will decide over the weekend whether classes can resume on Monday. The National Weather Service will confirm the final crest of the Toccoa River, settling the official record, Residents should keep watching emergency alerts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How high did the Toccoa River crest?

The river crested at a record 18.05 feet at about 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 5, 2026, beating the previous record of 17.75 feet set in February 1990. It dropped below flood stage early Thursday afternoon.

How many people were rescued in the Georgia flooding?

More than 100 people were rescued across Georgia and Tennessee by late Thursday afternoon, including more than 80 in Fannin County, Georgia, and 58 to 68 in Polk County, Tennessee.

Which counties are covered by the emergency declaration?

Governor Brian Kemp declared a seven-day state of emergency for Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties,

Is there a curfew in McCaysville?

Yes. McCaysville imposed a mandatory curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. after Police Chief Michael Earley called the flooding "catastrophic". The city was also placed under a boil-water advisory.

Are schools closed in the flood zone?

Fannin County schools were closed on Friday, November 6, 2026. Shelters remain open in Blue Ridge, McCaysville and Copperhill

Related coverage: Georgia Flash Flood Emergency as Toccoa River Nears Record Crest, 30 Rescued in McCaysville and Southwest Flooding Turns Deadly as 2 Die in Flagstaff and Arizona Declares Emergency. Sources: CNN, Fox Weather, Georgia Emergency Management Agency, November 5-6, 2026.