Flash flood watch including Cobb extended to Monday evening

Cobb flash flood watch

A flash flood watch that began Sunday morning for northwest Georgia and that was to have ended Monday morning has been extended until 8 p.m. today.

The National Weather Service extended the watch for 22 counties, including Cobb County, as rain continues to fall, mostly between 1-2 inches but up to 3 inches in some areas.

The local forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of rain Monday afternoon, falling to 60 percent Monday night and all through Tuesday. There is a 70 percent chance of rain Wednesday, with partly cloudy skies emerging Wednesday night.

Thursday is expected to be sunny and clear, and the weather is forecast to stay that way into the middle of next week.

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East Cobb Park sustains extensive damage from heavy storms

East Cobb Park storm damage

The sun returned on Thursday and a handful of people were taking in a pleasant afternoon at East Cobb Park as the area starts to dry out from a major storm.

But parts of the park were damaged by the heavy rains and flooding from the adjacent Sewell Mill Creek, and repairs are getting underway.

According to Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt, most of the mulch in the main playground is gone, there are “multiple washouts” around the stage and pavilion area in the back of the park, a slate walking trail “was washed out badly” and there was serious erosion to the creek banks and Roswell Road bridge.

That’s been cordoned off, as seen below; a slice of the front quad closest to the creek is a muddy mess. Cavitt said the county is in touch with the stormwater and DOT offices about the erosion along the creek banks.

East Cobb Park storm damage

He also said new mulch will be sprayed in Thursday night “and we will hopefully be able to open part of East Cobb Park tomorrow. Some parts will stay closed for up to a week for repair.”

The East Cobb area got between 4-5 inches of rain late Tuesday and early Wednesday, as flooding shut down more than a dozen roads (including Columns Drive near the Chattahoochee River).

That was the heaviest amount of rain in Cobb, and the storm did more damage to east, in north Fulton and parts of Gwinnett County.

On the back side of East Cobb Park are ball fields along Robinson Road that’s part of Fullers Creek, and Cavitt said those fields remain closed due to flooding and should reopen by Saturday.

 

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Heavy rains rip through East Cobb, cause flooding, closed roads

Cobb heavy rains flooding
Cobb County Police Department

A fast-moving thunderstorm pushed through East Cobb late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, dumping several inches of rain and causing flooding on some major roadways.

Several inches of rain left portions of 15 streets and roads underwater, according to Cobb County officials.

Most of them were passable as the Wednesday rush hour began. Cobb County government said at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday that Columns Drive was closed, and has since reopened.

That’s along the Chattahoochee River, and other low-lying areas near the river were also affected. Here’s what the county posted around that time:

“DOT crews worked 15 reports of flooded roadways overnight and cleared more than a half-dozen roads blocked by trees.

“Cobb Fire and Emergency Services, along with Cobb Police, made multiple rescues of people trapped in flooded cars.

“There are reports of homes and apartments damaged by the flash floods that hit from several inches of rain that fell in a short amount of time.”

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the the Chattahoochee River in the Morgan Falls area in Cobb and Fulton counties until further notice.

Portions of Delk Road, Terrell Mill Road and Powers Ferry Road also were under water for some time, according to Cobb County officials.

Sope Creek also was overflowing this morning, as seen below.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is reporting that he Northwest Corridor Express Lanes along I-75 were closed due to a power outage at I-75 at Terrell Mill Road.

The county also reported that the East Cobb Government Service Center on Lower Roswell Road was experiencing a power outage due to a lightning strike and is likely to be closed all of Wednesday.

Indian Hills Country Club experienced some flooding and said its golf course and driving range would be closed Wednesday as cleanup crews worked to drain excess water.

Motorists are urged not to try to drive through standing water on the roads and are advised to turn around.

A flash flood warning expired in the East Cobb area around 9 a.m., but more rain is expected during the day Wednesday, starting in the mid afternoon.

The forecast calls for a 30-60 percent chance of rain from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., with highs in the high 80s during the afternoon, and low temperatures in the low 70s.

The sun returns on Thursday morning, and is expected to be that way for the rest of the week.

 

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Cobb included in flash flood watch through Wednesday afternoon

Cobb flash flood watch

The remnants of Hurricane Ida continue to move through the Southeast, causing heavy rains and flooding that have prompted a flash flood watch that includes Cobb County.

The National Weather Service issued the flood watch for portions of northwest Georgia starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday through 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The watch area that includes Cobb is expected to get 3-5 inches of rain, raising the chances for flooding.

Heavy rains began in metro Atlanta Monday afternoon, and the forecast calls for a nearly 100 percent chance Tuesday and Wednesday.

High temperatures Tuesday and Wednesday are forecast to be in the high 70s but with high humidity, and lows in the high 60s.

The rain forecast calls for a 40 percent chance by Wednesday afternoon as the stormy weather clears out.

Sunny and warmer weather will return starting Thursday, with highs in the high 80s and lows in the high 60s through Friday.

The weekend and early next week will be the same, before rain is expected by the middle of next week.

 

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Cobb included in flash flood watch after Tropical Storm Fred

Cobb flood watch Tropical Storm Fred
A reader-submitted photo from the Kroger East Lake parking lot on Monday.

Tropical Storm Fred made landfall in Florida Monday afternoon, and ensuing heavy rains and winds have prompted a flash flood watch for much of Georgia.

The National Weather Service in Atlanta issued the watch, which includes Cobb County, from  2 a.m. Tuesday through 8 a.m. Wednesday.

UPDATED, 7:10 A.M. TUESDAY: The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for parts of Georgia that include Cobb County until 1 p.m. Tuesday.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

The Tuesday forecast calls from 4-6 inches of rain in that time in part of the watch area that includes Cobb, and winds could be as high as 20-30 mph. 

A wind advisory also will be in effect for much of the watch area in Georgia through Tuesday afternoon.

The East Cobb area got a dousing on Monday afternoon, with a heavy chance of rain overnight into Tuesday morning.

The eye of Fred moved over Cape San Blas, Fla., on the panhandle near Port St. Joe, at 3:15 p.m. with sustained winds of 65 mph.

The chance of rain in Cobb will be 100 percent Tuesday, dropping off to 60 percent by Tuesday night, with highs in the high 70s and lows around 70.

The chance of rain is expected to be 50 percent Wednesday, with highs in high 80s and heat index values in the high 90s.

On Thursday, the chance of rain is forecast to be 70 percent and by Friday it’s expected to drop to 50 percent. 

The weekend also figures to be wet with a 40 percent chance of rain Saturday and Sunday, and high temperatures reaching into the 90s.

NWS flash flood map Fred 8.16.21

 

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Cobb included in N. Georgia heat advisory for Thursday, Friday

Cobb heat advisory

The National Weather Service in Atlanta has issued two heat advisories for North Georgia, including Cobb County, for Thursday and Friday.

The advisories last from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, as temperatures have soared to their highest of the summer, and with extreme humidity in the forecast.

The heat index (temperatures and humidity) for those periods both days is expected to be above 100 degrees.

As of noon Thursday, the temperature in East Cobb was 90, but with 56 percent humidity the heat index was at 99.

Temperatures in the Cobb area were expected to reach the mid-90s Thursday, with similar humidity figures.

Across the heat advisory area, heat index values Thursday could reach as high as 105. For Friday, that high could get to 106.

How to stay cool, per the NWS:

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside.

When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening.

Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments.

Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

There’s also a Code Orange air quality advisory issued for North Georgia for Thursday by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division.

That means outdoor air quality is likely to be bad for seniors, children, people who are sensitive to ozone and those with heart and lung disease.

Those individuals should limit outdoor activities during the late afternoon or early evening, when ozone levels are at their highest.

The hot weather will continue through the weekend, with sunny skies and highs in the mid- to low-90s forecast for Saturday and Sunday.

At the start of next week, the temperatures will come down to highs in the 80s, with more rain moving into the area.

More details from the National Weather Service.

 

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Severe weather, heavy rains continue in Cobb through Tuesday

Severe weather Cobb
A National Weather Service map of storms in north Georgia Monday afternoon.

Tornadoes touched down in Douglas County and other parts of metro Atlanta on Monday as heavy rains moved through the area, and will continue through Tuesday.

A tornado watch was in effect for much of the day.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for Cobb and much of north Georgia through 9 p.m. Monday. A flash flood warning was expected to expire by 6:15 p.m. Monday.

News reports said an EF-1 tornado with estimated winds of 90 mph touched down in Douglasville, and killed a man when trees and power lines fell on his car.

Cobb County Government there have been 23 calls for flooded roads, including along Stilesboro Road in West Cobb, and there are several reports of downed trees on roads.

The rain is continuing in heavy amounts on Monday night and is expected to pick up again on Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service forecast in Atlanta.

Rainfall amounts could total between 1-2 inches in the Cobb area during that time.

Showers and thundershowers are expected to continue through Tuesday night, with an 80 percent chance of participation.

On Wednesday, the forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of rain in the morning, with that amount tapering off to around 10 percent by early Wednesday evening.

Sunny skies will return on Thursday through the with high temperatures ranging from the low 70s to mid-80s by Sunday.

 

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Severe weather threat for Cobb includes overnight storms

Updating yesterday’s story about stormy weather moving in:

The National Weather Service Wednesday afternoon issued a hazardous weather outlook that includes severe thunderstorms overnight, including the possibility of tornado weather.

The outlook, issued shortly before noon, calls for heavy rains across much of north and western Georgia, starting Wednesday night and overnight into Thursday morning.

That threat includes Cobb and metro Atlanta, generally from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday.

The NWS Atlanta office said that “the primary risk will likely be with an area of storms pushing eastward late tonight into Thursday morning. The main threats will be tornadoes (some of which could be significant or longer tracked), damaging winds over the primary risk will likely be with an area of storms pushing eastward late tonight into Thursday morning.

“The main threats will be tornadoes (some of which could be significant or longer tracked), damaging winds over 60 mph, large hail, and flash flooding. mph, large hail, and flash flooding.”

Georgians are being asked to prepare to move to safety, including signing up for alerts, finding a safe place in their homes

A tornado watch was issued for much of Mississippi and Alabama Wednesday afternoon, and there are some portions of Alabama under a tornado warning.

That storm front is expected to move into Georgia and metro Atlanta later this evening. Here’s the NWS briefing.

Cobb County government issued the following information shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday:

“Cobb EMA will be monitoring the system, and we do have a robust network of tornado sirens in the county. However, you should not rely on these sirens as a warning device in your home because in tree-laden Cobb County these sirens can often be hard to hear inside a house.

“Cobb DOT has crews on standby tonight to respond to any reported storm damage or road closures and to deal with isolated road flooding that could occur.

“If conditions are dangerous before sunrise, please avoid venturing out on the roads.”

Wednesday’s low is expected to be in the high 50s, with the chance of storms dropping to 50 percent by Thursday afternoon and highs in the high 60s. Lows will be in the mid 40s as the storms clear through.

 

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Cobb’s St. Patrick’s Day will be soggy as temperatures drop

Cobb St. Patrick's Day weather

The warm sunny weather we enjoyed over the weekend will come back later in the week, but the next few days in Cobb County will be wetter and colder, including through St. Patrick’s Day on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service in Atlanta is projecting between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain for the Cobb area by Wednesday morning, as rainy weather moves into metro Atlanta Tuesday.

The chance of rain in the area is 100 percent by mid-afternoon Tuesday, tapering off to around 30 percent overnight.

The high Tuesday is expected to be only in the high 50s, after overnight temperatures fell into the mid 40s. 

Lows Tuesday will reach into the low 50s, and Wednesday’s highs will be in the mid 60s. There is an 80 percent chance of rain during the day Wednesday and severe thunderstorms are in the forecast from Wednesday night through Thursday morning.

Thursday’s lows are expected to be in the mid 40s.

By Friday, the sun will return with highs near 60 and lows in the low 40s. Saturday’s weather is expected to be the same, with warmer weather returning by the weekend and into next week.

 

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Cobb County included in flash flood watch through Friday morning

Cobb County flash flood watch

After avoiding icy conditions on Tuesday and drying out with warmer sunshine Wednesday, Cobb County and much of Georgia are in for rain and possible flash flooding through Friday morning.

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City issued a flash flood watch from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Friday.

Rainfall between one and two inches could take place within the watch area, which extends south of Americus and east of Athens.

The flash flood threat, the NWS said, is due to soil being wet from previous rain this week.

There is a 90 percent chance of rain Wednesday night and that is expected to dissipate into Thursday.

Temperatures reached into the low 50s Wednesday, but highs will drop into the mid 40s Thursday through Saturday.

Lows Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be in the mid 30s as the chance of rain decreases.

There could be some snow showers Friday morning, followed by mostly sunny skies and a low in the mid 20s.

Saturday also will be sunny with highs in the high 40s and lows also in the mid 20s.

Slightly warmer weather moves in on Sunday, with sun and highs in the low 50s and lows in the high 30s, including a 30 percent chance of rain.

Next week starts with rain on Monday and gradually will be sunny with highs forecast to be in the 60s.

 

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East Cobb Weather Alert: Black ice advisory issued for Tuesday

Cobb black ice advisory

The National Weather Service has issued an advisory about the chance of black ice into Tuesday morning in much of north Georgia as temperatures are headed below freezing following rain on Monday.

Temperatures in metro Atlanta and Cobb County could dip into the low 20s Monday night, and highs on Tuesday are expected only to be in the mid-30s, according to the NWS in Atlanta.

Cobb County Government issued a statement late Monday afternoon saying all of its offices will open Tuesday on a delayed basis, starting at 10 a.m.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners zoning hearing will start at 10:30 a.m. instead of the usual 9 a.m. time.

The Cobb and Douglas Public Health drive-up vaccine service at Jim Miller Park will be closed Tuesday, as that’s an outdoor set-up.

The statement also said that Cobb DOT road crews will arrive early and inspect the roads, treating any ice areas, and pre-treating bridges.

The Cobb County School District and most private schools in the East Cobb area are on winter break this week. Annual CCSD staffers will be working remotely Tuesday, according to a message the school district issued late Monday afternoon.

The message said that employees whose jobs require them to be on-site will be contacted by their supervisor.

The chance of rain Monday night is 100 percent, with between a quarter and a half inch possible in some areas.

Tuesday’s forecast calls for partly sunny skies, but it will be cold, and low temperatures Tuesday night also will be in the mid-20s.

The weather will get warmer as the week goes on, into the 50s by Thursday, but also with rain and subfreezing temperatures in the forecast Thursday night.

 

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Top East Cobb 2020 stories: Cleaning up from Hurricane Zeta

East Cobb road closures Zeta

We can’t often say a storm with hurricane-force winds comes our way, but in late October what was left of Hurricane Zeta tore through East Cobb with a vengeance, downing trees and power lines and shutting down major roads, in some cases for a few days.

The damage prompted the cancellation of schools for a day and many people were also left without power for days.

Some residents reported extensive damage to their homes, including a woman living in a Northeast Cobb neighborhood who said a large tree smashed through and totaled her residence.

No serious injuries were reported in the community, but the storm also uprooted trees at the Mt. Bethel cemetery on Johnson Ferry Road, causing damage to some gravestones.

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

More Top East Cobb 2020 stories

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Freeze warning issued for Cobb as cooler weather moves in

Cobb freeze warning, East Cobb Park

It was sunny and just around 60 degrees Tuesday afternoon at East Cobb Park when we stopped by for a little break, but with bristling winds that are going to make the next couple of nights seem colder than what’s in the forecast.

The National Weather Service in Atlanta has issued a freeze warning for Cobb County and much of North Georgia from midnight to 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Temperatures will be dipping to just around the freezing mark tonight and overnight, with winds gusting as much as 20 mph in some places.

A freeze warning means plants and pets should be brought in from the cold, and to prevent bursting of outdoor water pipes, they should be wrapped or allowed to drip slowly. In-ground sprinkler systems also should be wrapped or brought inside.

The winds will be calming down after that and dry, sunny weather will resume for the rest of the week.

Wednesday and Thursday will be much like Tuesday, sunny and in the high 50s to near 60 during the day, and into the 30s at night.

Weekend weather will be warmer, with sunny skies and high temperatures Friday-Saturday-Sunday in the high 60s and near 70, and evening temperatures falling into the 40s and low 50s.

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Northeast Cobb home condemned after being smashed by tree

Northeast Cobb home condemned

More stunning devastation of Thursday’s storms from Hurricane Zeta:

Rachel Curry sent these photos of a tree that demolished two-thirds of her Northeast Cobb home, which has been condemned.

She said the 16,000-pound tree made a direct hit on the structure around 4:30 a.m. :

“The interior is crushed sheetrock, fallen attic rafters, and insulation everywhere along with a crack in the main floor joist. We are just grateful to be safe.”

She and her family are staying for now in a hotel with their pets, and Curry said an insurance adjustor is coming Tuesday to see if the house will have to be totalled.

Northeast Cobb home condemned

Northeast Cobb home condemned

Northeast Cobb home condemned

Earlier on Saturday we heard from Tracy Cullo, a homeowner in the Mountain Creek neighborhood, and whose house was also hit by a tree, barely avoiding slamming into one of her daughters’ bedrooms.

Everyone is safe there too.

Send us information about conditions in your area, and photos to share, if it’s safe for you to do so: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

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Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged by uprooted trees

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

A reader let us know about two trees at the Mt. Bethel church cemetery that were uprooted during the Zeta storm Thursday, and damaged some graves there.

We took a look on Friday, and it was a stunning sight—a massive tree was pulled out of the ground, toppled over and struck a number of markers. A smaller tree also caused extensive damage.

The cemetery is located on Johnson Ferry Road, just above Lower Roswell Road, and between a Zaxby’s and the Northside medical building.

That’s near where the second location of the church, which dates back to the 1830s, once stood. The cemetery along Johnson Ferry opened in 1870, when the church moved to two acres donated by a nearby farmer.

The original cemetery still exists at the original church site on Richmond Hill Road, off Lower Roswell Road and east of Johnson Ferry, going back to the 1840s.

Some of the markers damaged at the Johnson Ferry cemetery are so old that there’s nothing legible on them. Family names we could make out include Bloodworth, Darnell and Tillerson.

Both Mt. Bethel cemeteries are listed in a catalog of more than 200 historical cemeteries by the Cobb Genealogical Society.

We’re contacting the Cobb Cemetery Preservation Commission about the storm damage.

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

Mt. Bethel church cemetery graves damaged

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East Cobb road closures, traffic updates in the wake of Zeta

East Cobb road closures Zeta

SATURDAY UPDATE:

Several thousand electric customers in Cobb remain with power, and a number of roads are still closed due to downed trees and power lines.

On Saturday afternoon Sewell Mill Road was closed off at Benthill Drive, also close to Pine Road, which can be used as an alternate.

A little further up in the Mountain Creek neighborhood of East Cobb, reader Tracy Cullo sent in photos of her house getting hit by trees early Thursday morning.

She reports that everyone is safe; the tree landed on a roof and nearly missed one of her daughter’s bedroom windows by six inches.

Send us information about conditions in your area, and photos to share, if it’s safe for you to do so: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Earlier Thursday we got a reader photo of a downed utility pole and trees across Sewell Mill Road.

As the sun came out Thursday afternoon, the same vicinity of Sewell Mill, on either side of Bill Murdock Road, had been blocked off.

There are downed power lines amid the trees, and there was no sign of any work crews that had arrived to repair the damage.

We took the photo above at the intersection of Sewell Mill and Mooregate Drive, the entrance to The Oaks subdivision, and it was one of many areas closed off to traffic and likely will be into Friday.

We drove around some other areas of East Cobb and can report that Robinson Road is closed at Fox Hollow Parkway, near Indian Hills, as Cobb DOT crews are on the job cleaning up a significant amount of downed trees and electrical crews are repairing power lines.

A bit west of that, also along Robinson Road, tree damage was serious at Fullers Park Drive, and the westbound stop sign also had been blown down.

Robinson Road at Fullers Park Drive

We also saw that Old Sewell Road is closed off at Brookcrest Drive, at the southern entrance to the Gant Quarters subdivision.

We’ll be adding more road closures here as we get them; as of 4 p.m. Cobb DOT hadn’t issued a specific list.

Period updates by Cobb government are being provided on the county website.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, many, many traffic lights are still out in East Cobb, including at major intersections, creating lengthy bottlenecks.

If you come to an intersection without a functioning traffic signal, treat it as a four-way stop.

Roswell E Piedmont no lights

The wind and rain that swept through East Cobb early Thursday morning from Hurricane Zeta left massive amounts of tree damage, with limbs, leaves, pine straw and other debris strewn about the area.

At 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the Cobb County School District announced that all Friday classes were canceled, but extracurricular activities would go on depending on whether a school has power.

More than a million metro Atlanta electricity customers lost their power during the storm, and quite a number of them in Cobb are still without power.

Cobb EMC reported that as of 4 p.m. Thursday, 50,000 of its customers are without power, and it has restored service to 42,000 customers.

If you’re a Cobb EMC customer, here’s an outage map that shows several thousand customers also without power, but no estimates are available yet.

Georgia Power also is reporting customers without electricity in East Cobb and has an outage map and the estimated number of customers without electricity.

Octavia Lane tree 1

Octavia Lane tree 2

Also be on the lookout for damage on side and neighborhood streets, which figure to be the last to be cleaned up by work crews.

Here’s a tree nearly pulled out of the ground in the front yard of a home on Octavia Lane at Octavia Circle, between Roswell and Sewell Mill Roads and west of Old Canton Road.

Reader Ann Maxwell sent in the photo below of some new visitors to her neighbor’s back yard in the Murdock Road area, after the storm knocked down a fence.

Foxes at Murdock

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Cleanup begins as East Cobb gets clobbered by Hurricane Zeta

East Cobb clobbered Hurricane Zeta

Jeff Sheehan, an East Cobb marketing and social media pro, took this photo of a downed utility pole and trees on Sewell Mill Road Thursday morning, as high winds brought down power lines, trees and other debris all over metro Atlanta.

Cobb DOT is saying that downed trees and power lines are at more than 350 locations in the county, and they’re asking people not to travel unless its necessary as crews work to clear the roads.

Traffic lights are out in many places, and hundreds of thousands of Cobb and metro Atlanta residents are without power, affecting schools, businesses and other activities.

Sustained winds of 40-50 mph swept through the area in the early-morning hours, just before daybreak, along with rain showers, the remnants of Hurricane Zeta, which hit the Louisiana Gulf Coast Wednesday afternoon.

Cobb government offices and services began on a delayed schedule at 10 a.m., including early voting that continues through Friday. But those openings depend on whether there’s power at a location, and here’s the notice we’re getting now:

Cobb Elections currently has workers surveying their 11 advance voting locations to see which ones may have power or internet issues. They will open sites that are available as close to 10 a.m. as possible. Check cobbelections.org and the wait times list to see which sites are available. Open sites will have times listed, sites not available will be in gray.

Cobb libraries are closed for the rest of Thursday, and those branches that have reopened since July will resume their normal operating hours on Friday.

Police, fire and emergency services, Cobb DOT and other crews are responding to hundreds of calls for cleanup. Here’s the county update around 10 a.m.:

From Cobb DOT:
344 tree down calls
260 traffic signals out or damaged
125 roads remain closed

From Cobb Fire and Emergency Services:
15 rescue calls – 13 to rescue people from houses hit by trees, 2 in cars hit by trees
2 people transported to the hospital with injuries

We don’t have any specifics on roads yet but will update here; Sheehan said there’s widespread debris like the photo above where he’s ventured out in East Cobb.

At 11:45 a.m., Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce said more than 280 homes have been struck by falling trees.

Only essential county personnel are reporting to work today, he said, and he asked Cobb residents to consider Thursday a “snow day.”

“It’s important right now that you take all the necessary precautions,” he said in a video message. “Stay home, and if you are home and need our help we can respond.”

Periodical updates are being provided on the county website.

As for power outages, here’s an outage map from Georgia Power showing where power is still out, and the estimated number of customers without electricity.

Several thousand East Cobb customers of Georgia Power area still without electricity as of 11 a.m., but there aren’t any estimates being provided as of now for when power may be restored to those areas.

If you’re a Cobb EMC customer, here’s an outage map that shows several thousand customers also without power, but no estimates are available yet.

Send us information about conditions in your area, and photos to share, if it’s safe for you to do so: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

 

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East Cobb under flash flood warning through early Sunday morning

The National Weather Service in Atlanta has issued a flash flood warning that includes East Cobb through 1:30 a.m. Sunday.East Cobb flash flood warning

The warning area includes north Fulton, most of the city of Atlanta, DeKalb County and part of south Gwinnett.

Nearly three inches of rain fell in metro Atlanta Saturday afternoon, and low-lying areas of of warning area—especially along the Chattahoochee River and Sope Creek in East Cobb—is susceptible to flooding.

Cobb County government some areas already are flooding, but we don’t have any specific roads as of yet, beyond the East-West Connector in South Cobb.

It doesn’t take much rain for some roads in East Cobb to contain hazardous levels of water; two weeks ago a similar amount of rainfall closed Columns Drive for a while.

The flooding conditions and potential for more flooding will extend into Sunday, with more rain expected.

Drivers are advised not to drive through flooded roads, but should turn around.

The chance of rain in the East Cobb area is 20 percent on Sunday, with patchy fog during the day and the skies clearing by the evening.

 

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Cobb flooding includes Columns Drive and areas along Chattahoochee

Columns Drive flooding

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR NEWS ABOUT RAIN AND FLOODING ON COLUMNS DRIVE ON SEPT. 8, 2021, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

 

ORIGINAL REPORT, OCT. 11, 2020:

Information and photo above of Columns Drive from Cobb County government at 1:32 p.m.:

Heavy rain caused by the remnants of Hurricane Delta has caused flooding in various parts of Cobb County.

Cobb DOT is coordinating with Cobb Police and Fire to close off roadways that are still water-covered and hazardous.

Up to four inches of rain has fallen on parts of the county, with the worst areas around the Chattahoochee River. Roads closed include Cochise Drive, Woodland Brook, and Columns Drive. Other roadways by the river and Cobb creeks could also be hazardous.

Cobb County remains under a Flash Flood Watch and several areas including neighborhoods around the Chattahoochee River and Nickajack Creek remain under a Flash Flood Warning.

Avoid travel in these areas if possible.

Cobb DOT crews responded to 23 calls overnight and into the morning, including five trees blocking roadways.

Cobb Fire rescued several people from cars that had been submerged in floodwaters.

Crews will work with the school district to make sure routes are accessible to buses in the morning.

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PHOTOS: Enjoying a sunny end to summer at East Cobb Park

East Cobb Park summer end

After a heavy rains temporarily closed down East Cobb Park last week, the park was a very popular place to be on Sunday.

Sunny skies and temperatures near 70 degrees marked the final weekend of the summer, and that weather will continue into Tuesday, when fall begins.

The autumnal equinox is scheduled for around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The forecast calls for highs in the low 70s and lows in the high 50s and low 60s for most of the week, with rain moving in from Wednesday through Saturday.

The first full week of fall, starting a week from today, is expected to be like it is now: sunny and warm, up to the high 70 during the day.

In addition to the recreational and sporting activities in the quad, there was also live music at the East Cobb Park concert shell, and a Rosh Hashanah celebration along the banks of Sewell Mill Creek.

East Cobb Park summer end

East Cobb Park summer end

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