Helen flooded due to Tropical Storm Fred

Helen as you come down the hill photo taken by Shelley Smith.

Helen, Ga.- Tropical Storm Fred made landfall Monday and it brought rain. 3.40 inches of rain have fallen in the area fell in White by Tuesday evening. The extra rainfall resulted in flooding in Helen and much of the surrounding area.

Quillian Street behind Burger King in Cleveland. The photo was taken by Danielle Tudor.

A flash flood warning was in effect until 6:15 p.m. as the storm continues to make its way through the state. Many roads are closed such as Edelweiss Strasses, the bridge off Edelweiss behind the Festhalle, Brucken Strasse in Helen, and Quillian Street in Cleveland. There were many other roads closed in the White county area currently.

According to the National Weather Service, the flood stage for the Chattahoochee is 6ft and at 4:00 p.m the river was registering at 6.46ft. On Tuesday evening, the river was experiencing still in minor stages of flooding with the rainfall continuing.

Areas affected by the flooding are the Cool River Tubing company, the Welcome Center, the Hardmen Trail, and the restaurants directly by the river. The shops along Edelweiss were also affected by the floods, one of those included is Dollar General.

Helen waterpark flooded. The photo was taken by Shelly Smith.

The expected rainfall from the storm was 2-4 inches.

For more information on rainfall totals and flooding, effects visit https://www.weather.gov/

White County Sheriff’s office is advised people to stay off the roads and if you have to travel they are advising using extreme caution as there is a lot of water and debris on the roads. They’re working with the local power companies to get everything cleaned up and back up and working. Also, they are asking you to not drive in any water that you can’t tell the depth.

The following locations had confirmed trees down:

Virgil Hunt / Tesnatee Gap Valley Rd
Asbury Mill Rd / Hwy 129 N
6363 Hwy 75 Alt
Town Creek / Dozer Rd
Robinson Rd / Paradise Valley Rd
3085 Hwy 255 N
1699 Richard Russell Scenic Hwy
Hwy 356 / Skylake
1778 Joe Black Rd
Hwy 75 Alt / Scorpion Hollow
747 Duncan Bridge Rd
Hwy 356 / N Main Street
Helen Hwy / Windy Acres
Multiple trees down on Hwy 356

Power Lines down:

3066 New Bridge Rd
182 Post Rd (with tree)
Kellum Valley / Post Rd (with tree)
235 Yonah Valley Rd

Flooding:

896 Campbell Street
Thomas Rd / Hwy 115 W
286 S Main Street (area of Glenda’s)
Quillian Street
Cooley Woods / Mountain Meadows
Ricky West Rd / Mossy Acres
Mauldin Rd / Asbestos Rd
Bean Creek at Gold Valley Rd
327 Asbestos Rd
Riverside Park – Helen
Edelweiss Strasse at Brucken Strasse (bridge and roadway)
500 block of Chastain Rd

Vehicle Accidents:

MVA w/ Entrapment 5852 Hwy 254

Road Closures:

Bridge on Edelweiss Strasse
Hwy 356 at Hwy 75 due to Tree taking extended clearance time.

Chattahoochee River overflowed the riverbank beside Troll Tavern at 1157 hrs.

White County Public Safety shared imagery to help explain flooding impacts on vehicles.

Laura Hewell