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Heavy rain causes creek to flood much of Cave Spring

CAVE SPRING, Ga. — Emergency crews are keeping a close eye on floodwaters around the northwest Georgia town of Cave Spring.

Much of the town was underwater after Little Cedar Creek went over its banks early Thursday morning. Parts of the town were still that way late Thursday night.

Channel 2's Carl Willis found Padlock Mountain and Cedartown roads were barricaded by police cruisers so drivers couldn't push the standing water into local businesses.

"We moved down here in 1965 and (it's) never been this bad," local resident Debbie McCain told Willis. "We get a lot of runoff from different counties, and I think this entire area -- Alabama, Georgia, up in Tennessee -- has just been inundated with terrible rain, and it rained so much so fast."

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Little Cedar Creek runs through the middle of Cave Spring, and as rain fell, water quickly began to rise toward homes and businesses across the town.

“We woke up this morning and the water was rising,” said Barry Bryant, who lives along Highway 411 about 200 yards from downtown Cave Spring.

Bryant told Channel 2's Richard Elliot when the creek flooded its banks, it also flooded his backyard.

“There ain’t no doubt when you look out and you see a lake in your backyard, it’s going to flood,” Bryant said.

Even though the water flooded out his garage, Bryant said he had enough time to get everything up off the floor, so his stuff should be OK.

The creek also flooded out downtown Cave Spring.

Kirsten Bodine sloshed her way across the street to get her daughter Hailey out of harm’s way, but she and her husband are going back to save their stuff.

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“We’re staying here. We’re just making sure our daughter gets out. We got a lot of stuff to get out, stuff at the house that we’re trying to make sure gets up to the second level. That way it doesn’t flood or get destroyed,” Bodine said.

Things got so bad, Floyd County sheriff’s deputies and police shut down Highway 411 coming in and out of town.

City workers were busy putting sandbags out to keep the water out of the businesses.

“I didn’t know that clouds could hold this much water,” city employee Dennis Conner told Elliot.

Bryant thinks the floodwater will stop just short of getting inside his house -- but anything can happen overnight.

“It might get up in the house, but I don’t think it’s going to. I think it, this is about as high as it’s going to get. I hope,” Bryant said.

Elliot said he had seen the water recede a bit since first getting to town on Thursday, but any more rain could mean a lot more flooding.

Channel 2's Tom Regan was in downtown Cave Spring Thursday, where volunteers raced to fill sandbags and stack them in front of downtown businesses to hold back the rising water.

Lindie Marie was worried about floodwater pouring into her namesake restaurant. Her doors are now 
sandbagged.

“I left to run an errand, came back 30 minutes later and the downtown was flooded,” Marie said. “Our daycare was out safely, and now it's just securing all the businesses and our neighbors down the road.”

The flooding threatened an elementary school nearby. As a precaution, students were sent home early.

“How many roads are closed?" Regan asked Cave Springs Police Chief Danny McCain.

“Basically, (all) the downtown area,” McCain said. “We’re not letting traffic come through because when they do, it pushes water into the businesses.”

Doug Burrier was one of those helping out with the sandbagging.

“Everyone is pitching in, making sandbags, doing what they can,” Burrier said.

“It's just a mess, so it's just neighbors helping out here. That's what we do in Cave Spring,” Marie said.

Emergency officials said those people who wish to leave their homes can go to the Cave Spring Community Center for shelter.