CHATTOOGA COUNTY, Ga. — Help is underway in Chattooga County after flash floods left many under water over the weekend.
Severe Weather Team 2 said a foot of rain fell in parts of the county Sunday, leaving homes and businesses under water, even destroying some.
The North Summerville Church has become a hub for people to get supplies as much of the county was left without running water and more.
People are traveling from all over to pitch in and help. Several different Sheriff’s offices from surrounding counties have stopped by to load and unload donations.
[READ: Convoy of Care – Disaster Relief for Georgia and Mississippi]
Missy Barrett, the wife of the church’s pastor, told Channel 2′s Michele Newell, that so far they have given away 30 or 40 cases of supply kits that include things like toothpaste, shampoo, soap and band aids.
Volunteers are setting their lives aside to fill the biggest needs of Chattooga County.
“What’s it like seeing so many people in need?” Newell asked Barrett.
“These are your neighbors. It is very overwhelming, but it is so heartening to see everybody come together,” Barrett said.
Newell met Pastor Larry Reynolds who stopped by to get some help. His church isn’t far from the North Summerville Church.
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“We been around 51 years. We’ve been flooded a couple of times,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds shared video of his Bible Mission Church completely surrounded by flood waters.
“Pretty much the church is almost looking like a total loss at this point,” Reynold said.
He took Newell to the church. She said it looked like a river went through it and everything is destroyed.
Reynolds said the church has insurance, but not flood insurance.
[PHOTOS: Northwest Georgia counties hit with severe flooding on Sunday]
“When it got as high as it did, it got four, four-and-a-half foot on the walls,” Reynolds said.
Newell helped Reynolds carry fans and cleaning supplies into the church, but he needs much more help than that.
“The scripture goes that you’re ankle deep, knee deep, but we’re over our heads right now. We’ll swim by faith,” Reynolds said.
The sheriff in Chattooga County didn’t give Newell an exact count on how many people are displaced from the floods, but said the Red Cross put several up in a hotel and others are staying with family.
Residents are still without water.
“The pumping system is down so it’s not necessarily that it’s bad water, it’s just that we don’t have water. We don’t have a way to pump the water,” Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader said.
Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to tour the damage left by the floods on Wednesday. Channel 2 Action News will be in Chattooga County for his visit.
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