Floodwaters slowly recede after Sandy Springs issued evacuation warning

As the skies change to partly cloudy with sunshine peeking through Sandy Springs has one bright spot as its Blue Stone Arts & Music Festival will go on almost as scheduled, with a one-hour delay today, starting at 5 p.m.

The festival in and around City Springs will end the day at 10 p.m. and run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

The city has 29 Public Works staff members working on clean up in City Hall and in the field, a city spokesperson said. Sandy Springs also has contractors working on cleaning up after the storm.

Firefighters are working on incidents as well. Each apparatus has two chainsaws to aid in tree removal.

Mayor Rusty Paul posted on his Facebook account that residents do not need a tree removal permit if the tree is dead, hazardous, or structurally defective (a fallen tree on their property). He told residents if the tree is in danger of falling and needs to be removed, send photos and a description of the tree to the City Arborist (arborist@sandyspringsga.gov) before removal.

“If you have property damage, emergency repairs are allowed. If a permit is required, please submit for the necessary permit within 24 hours or reach out to staff with questions,” Paul said.

To schedule an appointment with the Permitting and Revenue Offices, visit spr.gs/chq .

Noon, Sept. 27

Hours after Sandy Springs firefighters went door to door to tell 14 residents of Rickenbacker Road to evacuate due to the flooding of Nancy Creek, city residents are still dealing with power outages, road closures, and downed trees.

The city sent a text message alert at 2:33 a.m. to 17 residents warning about flooding, telling those residents near Nancy Creek to “Leave NOW.” A city spokesperson said stream gauges alerted staff to the flooding danger. Some residents chose to stay in their homes.

The National Weather Service reported at 10:40 a.m. that a flood warning continues for Nancy Creek at Rickenbacker Drive, with minor flooding expected to continue until this afternoon. This affects homes on East Powder Horn Road and Hitching Post Trail around 1.5 miles upstream, along Rickenbacker Way near the stream gauge, and Fairfield Drive around 2 miles downstream.

The creek was at 11.4 feet and falling at 10:30 a.m. Its maximum stage was 14.3 feet earlier today. Flood stage is 11 feet. The forecast predicts it will fall to 8.3 feet this evening.

At noon today the city reported on its public emergency operations dashboard that 37 trees were down, with 6 cleared. Those downed trees caused many road closures and power outages across the city.

Georgia Power reported more than 2,300 homes still without power across Sandy Springs. The utility company reported winds had died down enough by 9:45 a.m. today for its linemen to resume work.

One traffic signal was out at the intersection of Cliftwood Drive and Sandy Springs Circle NE near Springs Cinema & Taphouse and Lake Forest Elementary School. Another seven were on generator power, including at Roswell Road at I-285.

Lake Forrest Drive was closed by the city of Atlanta just south of Sandy Springs due to a sinkhole caused by a culvert failure. Mayor Rusty Paul said in a Facebook post that the road will remain closed indefinitely until the culvert is repaired.

Sandy Springs Police reported on Instagram that the Chattahoochee River flooded the pier below Morgan Falls Dam, with water coming into the parking lot next to the city’s dog park. Police advised motorists and residents to avoid the area.

The city’s Blue Stone Art & Music Festival will be held today and Saturday. The city said it will likely delay the start of today’s events and will announce the start time on its website.

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