November 6, 2026
MCCAYSVILLE, Ga. (BP) – Wednesday night’s services at First Baptist Church went well, with good attendance, especially considering the torrent of rain that had hammered down all day.
“We left around 8,” said Cole West, youth and missions pastor. “Hours later, the building was full of water.”
Rain had continued through the night. Eventually, it pushed the waters of the Toccoa River, as it is known when flowing through McCaysville, and the Ocoee, the name it receives as it flows across the state line into Copperhill, Tenn., over its borders. Businesses that depend heavily on tourists taking in the fall foliage of the southern Appalachians will spend this weekend cleaning up and filling dumpsters.
“We’re trying to figure out what to do next,” said Pastor David Drake, who lives 40 miles away in Ellijay and hasn’t yet been able to get to the church. “It’s going to be a re-do, with pews, the carpet and everything else damaged coming out.”
Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief is responding to the damage.
Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief Director Dwain Carter said teams will deploy to McCaysville to assist with flood recovery. Volunteers were placed on standby and asked to watch for additional deployment information. Carter also asked volunteers to pray about their involvement in the response.
As much as 8 to 10 inches of rain fell overnight between Blue Ridge and Ellijay, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority. At least 57 people were rescued by swift water teams in Fannin County before the floodwaters began to recede, according to the Fannin County Emergency Management Agency.
The Toccoa River crested at 18.05 feet at 6 a.m., 4 feet above major flood stage. The waters began receding two hours later, police said. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a disaster area for several counties, including Union, Fannin, Gilmer and Murray.
The city of McCaysville declared a state of emergency as well and closed the city, with floodwaters reaching the roofs of some buildings.
McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley said the water flowed over rooftops in some places, and reached about 6-7 feet high in the small downtown. “I have one of my police cars that’s floating down the river right now. Don’t know where it’s at, but it’s somewhere down there,” the chief told Fox5 Atlanta early Thursday.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury, and a few residents were treated for suspected hypothermia and shock, “but from what we could tell, everybody looked to be OK,” Earley said.
The emergency response was complicated by cellphone and power outages, Earley said. The flooding also shut down the McCaysville water treatment plant, prompting a boil water advisory, and it put the city's dump trucks and heavy equipment out of reach.
The Riverwalk business area experienced a flood only three months ago. That came from a period of heavy rain combining with drainage clogged by debris from a nearby road widening project, though, and not from the river. Water entered several businesses, residences, the post office and police department.
The last time the Toccoa rose to such heights was Feb. 16, 1990, when it crested at 17.8 feet. That stood as the record until today. First Baptist sits beside the river, nothing separating its parking lot from the waters but a three-foot bank.
“[1990] was the last big one,” said Drake, who has been with the church a little over four years. “The only things that survived were the pews in the balcony, which I think are the ones still there now.”
First Baptist Epworth has volunteered its building as a temporary location. First Baptist McCaysville will gather there for worship at 2 p.m. this Sunday.
“We’re super-grateful for that,” said West, who lives across from the church. Only a park separates him from the Toccoa.
It was a little concerning for West when, at 2 a.m. this morning, he received an alert on his phone and stepped outside to see the street lights reflecting on water where cars normally parked. A mandatory evacuation order came around 4:30, he said.
“I drove to my girlfriend’s house, which is about 4-5 miles away. That became a 45-minute trip because the city had locked down a lot of access points and bridges because of potential damage. I looked over before I left and could see people in boats in the church parking lot.”
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