10:30 a.m Monday update
Officials have given the all-clear for residents in certain areas of Habersham and White counties to return to their homes after a voluntary evacuation was implemented Sunday.
According to a press release from the Habersham Commission Office, officials completed an inspection of the compromised dam in White County and determined it is now safe for residents to return to their homes.
The release states no further deterioration of the dam occurred overnight Sunday, as the water has now receeded.
The voluntary evacuation affected residents on Riverbend Road, Canine Way, Hidden Valley Drive, Lake Front Drive, Alfred Taylor Road, White Pine Circle, Mandy's Cove, Tippie Canoe Lane, Twin Oaks Road, Friendship Lane, Willow Wisp Hill, Lucious Yearwood Road, Twin Springs Lane, Sidney Roland Road and Log Cabin Road.
Original story
DEMOREST – Habersham County public safety personnel are continuing to go door to door contacting residents along the Chattahoochee River from Fairview to the Duncan Bridge Road about the need for a voluntary evacuation.
Authorities are evacuating several communities in both White and Habersham counties over concerns that a private dam off Dean Mountain Road near the river in White County might break due to the heavy rains and resulting degradation overnight.
In White County, authorities have evacuated an RV park just below a private lake at the end of Cripple Creek Lane east of Cleveland.
White County Fire Chief Seth Weaver said the dam on that lake has been visibly compromised.
“We did everything out of caution,” Weaver said. “Visually, we flew the area with a drone to look at the area the water could possibly go in. But to look at the dam, it is compromised visually. We can’t tell underwater if it is. But the good news is that the water is receding.”
According to White County Emergency Management Director David Murphy, those evacuating the campground had primary homes, so no emergency shelters were set up.
At approximately 6:30 p.m. the park was nearly 98% evacuated.
Asked how many White County residents are affected by evacuations, Weaver said, “We haven’t got a total, but on our end probably 150-plus.”
Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell explained more about the need for the evacuation in Habersham County.
“There’s a privately owned lake in White County off Dean Mountain Road that had water breaching over the dam earlier and it’s eroded some of the dam,” Terrell said. “GEMA is up there with it now and they’re afraid that it’s going to breach.”
Due to the concerns about the dam breaching, more than two dozen Habersham County firefighters and deputies have been going house to house in the area south of Log Cabin Road off Riverbend Road in the Fairview community.
“We are asking folks to do a voluntary evacuation, at least for 24 hours,” Terrell said. “The big thing is that if you stay in the house and the dam does burst, then if your house becomes inundated with water, we’re not going to be able to get to you until water begins to recede, so that’s something to think about. Life is important. Houses and cars are just stuff.”
Terrell said anyone who lives along the Chattahoochee River from Log Cabin Road in the Fairview community all the way to the Hall County line should be aware of the possibility of sudden floodwaters if the dam breaches.
“Again, if you’re south of the Log Cabin Road area off Riverbend south toward Duncan Bridge, even down toward the Hall County area, there’s a distinct possibility if you live close to the river, the floodwaters could rise and they could rise quickly for a period of time until that lake empties out,” Terrell said.
Terrell said deputies will be patrolling areas where voluntary evacuations have been requested, looking for anyone who does not belong there.
“We’re going to keep officers in the area and try to keep an eye on houses and property,” Terrell said. “We don’t want anybody going in and looting anybody’s house, so we’re going to be on high alert watching for all that.”
