The slow-moving remnants of Tropical Storm Lee dumped rain across the US South and whipped up twisters that damaged dozens of Georgia homes, as the system pushed farther inland. Several people were swept away by floodwaters.
In Mississippi, a man was drowned while trying to cross a swollen creek, while authorities called off the search for a missing swimmer presumed dead off Alabama. Another man was missing after trying to cross a creek in suburban Atlanta.
Tornadoes that caused minor damage were also reported on Monday in Alabama, where rain was expected to taper off overnight. Southern cities that reported numerous roads closed by flooding included Birmingham, Alabama, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. More than 23cm of rain had fallen in Chattanooga, setting a 24-hour record for rainfall.
“It’s been such a persistent rain that it has been causing some problems in low-lying and flood-prone areas, said US National Weather Service forecaster David Gaffin, who expected remnants of Lee to linger in Tennessee through yesterday.
Suspected twisters ripped off siding and shingles and sent trees crashing through roofs in Cherokee County, about 50km north of Atlanta. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency said about 100 homes were damaged there. One man was taken to the hospital with superficial injuries after he was hit by flying debris.
Mickey Swims and his wife hid in the basement of their house in Woodstock, Georgia, as an apparent tornado passed.
“I heard it and saw the trees go around and around,” Swims said. “I knew when I heard it that if it touched down, it was going to be bad.”
To the southeast in Norcross, a man was swept away when he tried to cross a swollen creek between apartment complexes, Gwinnett County Fire Battalion Chief Dan Rowland said. The search was called off at nightfall. A companion to the missing man was caught in the creek, but managed to make it out of the water.
In other parts of the state, six families were evacuated from a Catoosa County apartment building because of flooding, while slick roads caused an 18-car pileup in Monroe County, agency spokeswoman Lisa Janak said. No one was injured in those cases.
In areas of Louisiana and Mississippi that took the brunt of the storm over the weekend, thousands remained without power. Lee’s center came ashore on Sunday in Louisiana, dumping up to 30cm of rain in parts of New Orleans and other areas. Despite some street flooding, officials said New Orleans’ 24-pump flood control system was doing its job.
Elsewhere, the heavy rain made for a dud of a Labor Day holiday as Gulf Coast beaches mostly cleared of tourists. On Monday morning, the main road on Alabama’s Dauphin Island was flooded and covered with sand, jellyfish and foam washed in by Lee.
Residents in Lee’s wake are worrying about the effects of soggy ground. Part of a levee holding back a lake in Mississippi’s Rankin County gave way, endangering some homes and a sod farm.
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