While Cleveland and other areas of White County remained dry, Helen and the northern part of White County were slammed with heavy rain and strong thunderstorms Thursday afternoon. That strong thunderstorm started impacting the area around mid-afternoon. The system of thunderstorms moved east over the next couple of hours.
At one point, White County E-9-1-1 reported some area streets and sidewalks were flooded.
During the storms, a Habersham County fire unit was dispatched to a tree on fire on Highway 356 at Unicoi Springs because Helen and White County emergency personnel were busy handling incidents in Helen.
White County Public Safety agencies responded to multiple weather-related incidents following the severe thunderstorm warning.
Fire at Skylake
“The storm cells that passed through the northern parts of White County resulted in multiple reports of flooding. The majority of these incidents occurred within the city of Helen,” says White County Public Information Officer Bryce Barrett.
According to Barrett, shortly before 4 p.m. on June 15, White County Fire Services responded to a residential fire in Sautee Nacoochee’s Skylake community. The Helen Fire Department also responded with mutual aid, along with assistance from the Lee Arrendale Fire Department.
Firefighters arrived to find the vacant A-frame house fully involved. Barrett says they successfully battled the blaze and prevented it from spreading to nearby vegetation. The residence was deemed a total loss. Officials believe the fire was caused by lightning.
White County’s Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) manned a rehab truck on the scene to aid first responders in the heat.
Helen rainfall totals
WRWH News Radio Weather Reporter Bill Kinsland says 1.45 inches of rain fell at the Sautee Weather Station south of Helen between 3 and 5 p.m. Thursday. Helen received 3.72 inches of rain over a span of just three hours, and 4.32 inches in 24 hours.
There were also reports of hail in Helen.
