First responders weave around debris, washed out roads to get to families trapped in Ellijay

ELIJAY, Ga. — Debris and washed-out roads have made it difficult for first responders to save people in Gilmer County on Thursday.

A storm tore through the mountain town of Ellijay before midnight, pushing trees and power lines into roads and onto homes. The rain continued into Thursday afternoon, flooding roads and causing sinkholes and washouts.

Bryan Pentoja was inside his home with his brothers and parents when a tree crashed through their roof.

“It’s terrible. I don’t think we’ve, at least this part of town, have seen anything like this in a long, long time,” Pentoja told Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco.

A tree not only fell onto his home but also on his family’s car and all over their property.

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This is the type of problem first responders are facing.

“Currently trying to make access to a patient for a medical issue, and there are multiple trees down,” Gilmer County Fire Chief Daniel Kauffman told Channel 2 Action News Thursday afternoon.

He said the calls for help peaked around 11:30 the night before when the storm passed.

One family was trapped in a home.

“We had to get crews on foot to get inside and evacuate the family to safety,” said Kauffman.

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The roof from the county’s forestry building on Old Highway 5 blew onto homes and an RV park next door. On top of that, flooding left 20 to 30 roads closed.

“There may be more than that because we continue to get reports,” said Gilmer County Emergency Management Director Keith Kucera. “Washed out roads, culverts washing out under roads. So, it’s just going to be a continued mess throughout the day as we try to mitigate many of these issues we have.”

Pentoja predicts it will take days for families to clear the debris and start repairs.

Gilmer County Schools has canceled classes for Friday as crews work to clean the storm damage.

Red Cross volunteers are in Elijay to help families. Also, the Gilmer County Warming Center on Main St. is open and pets are welcome. You can call 706-889-6109 if you need a ride there.

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