Heavy rain floods north Ga. town, triggering dozens of water rescues

McCAYSVILLE, Ga. — Thunderstorms caused record flooding overnight in twin towns straddling the Georgia-Tennessee border, submerging some buildings to their rooflines on Thursday as emergency responders rescued dozens of people.With floodwaters receding by afternoon, residents returned to find piles of debris and the contents of businesses scattered or ruined.The storms dropped heavy rain across a mountainous area that drains into the Toccoa River between McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, causing life-threatening flooding on both sides. The Toccoa then flows into the Ocoee River, where the Tennessee Valley Authority was managing high water levels at three of its hydroelectric dams.As much as 8 to 10 inches fell overnight between the north Georgia towns of Blue Ridge and Ellijay, and runoff from uncontrolled streams swelled the rivers below, according to the TVA.The Toccoa River reached a record high Thursday morning of 18 feet, according to a river gauge in Copperhill, wh