Hundreds evacuated as waters rise in aftermath of storm

WEST POINT - Hundreds of people were evacuated from homes and businesses in Troup County today as the Chattahoochee River rose to threatening levels. <br> <br> The National Weather Service said the river is expected to crest between 23 and one-half and 24 and one-half feet Thursday night at West Point, its highest level there since at least 1961. <br> <br> By afternoon, flooding of low-lying places around downtown West Point had already forced almost 300 people to leave the area. <br> <br> Police Chief David Kerr said, ``If this rises much more, it could affect four to five times that. The West Point dam is doing its job, or we&#39;d be completely flooded by now.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Four days after thunderstorms began pounding the northern and central parts of the state, Georgians looked forward to a weekend break from some of the harshest weather they&#39;ve seen in years. <br> <br> In northwest Georgia, the Oostanaula, Etowah, Coosawattee Rivers also experienced some flooding earlier in the week, as most of the northern third of Georgia saw at least three to six inches of rainfall since Monday. <br> <br> Heard and Troup County recorded up to ten inches. <br> <br> The storms also caused two fatalities this week, including a 95-year-old Conyers woman who was killed in a fire after lightning struck her home Monday night. <br> <br> The Rockdale County Fire Department said Kathleen Green died of smoke inhalation when a gas line ruptured, igniting a fire in a bedroom. <br> <br> Another woman was killed today, when her car was caught in flood waters on a Troup County road. <br> <br> Officials said 47-year-old Ethel Bray of Pine Mountain was thrown from the car when her airbags deployed. It took rescuers almost two hours to find and retrieve her body because of the treacherous road conditions.

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