COPPERHILL, Tenn. — Cleanup crews are moving into Polk County after flash flooding ripped through the Copper Basin, where state emergency managers tallied more than 100 water rescues and Copperhill still faces a boil-water order.
Swift-water teams under Tennessee Fire Mutual Aid, drawing 65 firefighters from 18 departments, pulled more than 100 people and 25 dogs from high water on both sides of the Georgia line before those crews stood down Nov. 5. County leaders put Polk County under a state of emergency that same day. Nashville is still running its State Emergency Operations Center at an elevated Level 4 to keep agencies aligned.
County Executive Stan Howard put the local toll at 45 damaged homes and 42 damaged businesses inside Tennessee. Leaders want curiosity traffic to stay out of Copperhill through the weekend so debris crews can work. Highway 64 is down to a single lane while inspectors finish repairs, and motorists on Highways 68 and 60 are being sent on detours.
The Copperhill evacuation order is finished and the Red Cross shelter at Copper Basin Fire and Rescue has shut down for lack of unmet needs. Copperhill Utilities still wants residents to boil drinking water, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is warning people to stay out of Ocoee watershed surface water until testing can restart safely.
Day-use areas at Ocoee River State Park are open again with caution. Officials want bottled water and cash only for now, with water drops at Luttrell Hardware, 625 Ocoee Street, and relief accounts at Peoples First Bank and Builtwell Bank. Cleanup volunteers should sign in at the hardware store and confirm tetanus shots are current.
Filed under: Nashville TN Weather News
