Atlanta Floods Receding in Some Areas

by Jordan Yerman | September 23, 2009 at 10:46 am

1085 views | 21 Recommendations | 0 comments

The Atlanta floods are starting to recede in some areas, and roadways are slowly reopening. However, many are still displaced, and the extent of the damage remains unknown until cleanup can begin on a larger scale. (Atlanta flood map) Richard Butler became the tenth person to die due to the Georgia flooding when his car washed off the road, drowning him.

Most deaths were from drowning when cars were swept off roadways. Authorities released a 15-minute 911 call of a storm victim's last moments. Seydi Burciaga, 39, screamed to a dispatcher as water rose to her neck. The dispatcher advised her to try to break a window, but she couldn't. "I don't want to drown here, please!" Burciaga said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of people were still in shelters, with more than 250 people in the Cobb County Civic Center, according to the Red Cross.

The CDC has advised that any food left in homes which have been flooded be discarded, as they would likely have become contaminated due to pollutants and bacteria in the flood waters. More CDC info on post-flood health can be found here.