Flood watch continues this weekend

ATLANTA — The risk of flooding continues across metro Atlanta through this weekend.

The area is under a flood watch through Sunday morning. Severe Weather Team 2 is monitoring as scattered showers move through, including brief, heavy downpours in some spots.

Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist David Chandley said some areas will experience brief heavy downpours, gusty winds and lightning. The storms are currently below severe limits, but the risk of flooding maintains.

Normal rainfall for the year at this point is 25.37 inches. We're currently at 39.81, a more than 14-inch surplus. The rain surplus for July alone is 1.68 inches. Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz said an additional 1-2 inches of rainfall is possible this weekend.

In Fairburn, a large tree split Friday night, downing live power lines and trapping two women and their five children inside a truck.

It happened about 8 p.m. on Fairburn Road. Police had to block the road for hours while they cleared the tree and power lines off of the truck.

"The electricity just started shocking, hit her whole truck," one of the women said.

At one point, a police officer had to move a roadblock to maintain control of the traffic.

The women told Channel 2's Liz Artz the scene was chaotic trying to get their children, ages 8 to 1, out of their Ford Expedition.

"My baby was in the car seat, trying to get her out of the car seat, screaming and hollering," one of the women told Artz.

Once out of the SUV, the women said they were taking the children to the hospital to get checked out. They said glass flew everywhere when the tree hit the SUV. They said they are just happy to walk away.

Fallen trees and power lines have proven to be a problem as rain has persisted for several days. Officials in Flowery Branch are keeping an eye on a city creek and the only bridge leading into and out of a subdivision. If it succumbs to weather damage, about 100 people could be trapped on the wrong side of the stream.

In May, the city worked to shore up a bridge on Spring Street amid storms, and officials built an emergency backup bridge. Still, some residents are worried about the forecast.

"My mommy, my grandmother have to work and they couldn't if the bridge falls down while they're at work, because they couldn't get back," Cadence O'Bryant told Channel 2's Richard Elliot.

Nearby, city officials closed down Cantrell Road as a safety precaution. It washed away in May, forcing three-week repairs. But the latest round of rain has eroded enough of the repairs to prompt officials to take action.

Neighbor Charlie Stringer said getting around the road is a pain.

"It's pretty busy. I wish they'd go ahead and put the big pipes under there, a cement bridge or whatever they do to correct the problem," Stringer said. 

In Cobb County, crews blame the recent wet weather for delaying cleanup from last month's tornado.
   
Many streets are still lined with debris, and Channel 2's Ross Cavitt found cleanup crews in east Cobb getting pulled off to handle other emergencies. Until the weather settles down, crews clearing debris will find themselves pulled away to other issues, leaving piles for another day.

Rain is in the forecast through Wednesday, and highs are expected to be in the low to mid-80s.

WSBTV