Atlanta, Georgia
Historical Floods
Atlanta, Georgia, is a beautiful and historical city; however, it faces several types of natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfire, severe storms, and flooding. Furthermore, some of the human-made disasters in Georgia include terrorism as well as transports accidents associated with hazardous materials and disease threats. Disasters and emergencies often happen quickly, and most of the time, it does not possess a warning sign. Therefore, this means you have to be prepared every time. In this article, we shall be discussing some of the notorious historical floods and disasters in Atlanta, Georgia.
In Georgia, thunderstorms and flooding are the most common types of natural disaster; furthermore, flood and water damage in Georgia have always been severe. Some of the historical floods in Atlanta, Georgia include;
Tropical Storm Alberto, July 1994
Tropical Storm Alberto is one of the floods that hit Georgia hardest. This storm did not only produce extensive flooding over Georgia but also Florida and Alabama in July of 1994. The storm developed from a tropical wave with the northwestern Caribbean Sea on June 30, 1994. After building up, an elevated pressure system leads this storm to drift into west-central Georgia. Atlanta, Georgia, is said to have experienced the worst effects of the storm. However, throughout the three states, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, homes, and businesses suffered severe destruction or damage, with Georgia being the worst of them all. This was due to a cold front that led the storm to remain stationary in Georgia. This led to instant runoff into rivers and streams. Flood damage led to the closure of 1,000 bridges and 175 roads with the total cost of damage exceeding $130 million. The numbers of fatalities in Georgia were 31, while Alabama had 2, and Florida had none.
Epic flooding in North Georgia, September 2009
This catastrophic flooding had a severe impact on the Atlanta Metropolitan area from September 15 to 22, 2009, resulting in an extended period of prolonged rainfall. A combination of well moisten air from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, along with the topography of the area, enhanced the production of this heavy rains. The rains fell faster, which made it hard for the watersheds to handle. September 20 and 21 were the peak of this event, and an estimated 10 to 20 inches of rainfall occurred within 24 hours. This led to a historical flash flooding with river basin remaining flooded for several weeks. Several flood records were set with some areas experiencing conditions that exceeded 0.2% chances of occurrence in a particular year. On September 20 and 21, 2009, the maximum amount of rainfall recorded within 24 hours was 21.03 inches that were observed in Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority. It is said that the chances of any location within Atlanta receiving such rainfall within 24 hours is less than 0.01% per annum. Epic flooding in North Georgia had a significant impact on the economy and the community at large. Initially, the estimated damage in Georgia was said to be $250 million; however, it rose to $500 million. The flood caused havoc, and 20,000 homes and businesses suffered severe damage, with 10 Georgia residents losing their lives. Eight of the ten died while driving across the flooded roads; furthermore, hundreds of individuals were saved from their vehicles and homes.
