Losses in Georgia from Floods at $250 Million; Most Uninsured

Flooding across north Georgia over the past few days has caused an estimated $250 million in losses, as much as 80 percent of that likely uninsured, according to state Insurance Commissioner John W. Oxendine.

Oxendine said that many of the homeowners afflicted by this event don’t have flood insurance.

Washed-out roads and flooded interstate highways around Atlanta added to the misery Tuesday after days of torrential rain in the Southeast that claimed at least six lives and left several people missing.

Gov. Sonny Purdue declared a state of emergency in 17 counties.

The National Weather Service said there was more rain to come, but the severity will decline in the coming days.

Days of downpours saturated the ground from Alabama through Georgia into eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, just months after a two-year drought in the region ended after winter rains.

Hundreds of roads and bridges were under water or washed out in the Atlanta area and other parts of the state, including 17 bridges on state and interstate highways.