The skies opened above suburban Atlanta two weeks ago and the rains came pouring down. By the end of the week the death toll had reached 7 and approximately $250 million in damage was recorded. “The flooding really affected my high school,” said sophomore Sarah Skoke. “The damage was so bad that the majority of the students with cars had to get new cars.”

Damage and flooding comparable to this occurred across the perimeter of the city, leaving 30,000 homes without electricity. Many schools and businesses to close their doors for fear of the rising floodwater.

Entire neighborhoods were likewise affected as water levels threatened houses and mobile homes. A report from WSBTV2 (Atlanta) said that some mobile homes were swept away by the flooding as rivers burst over their banks.

Sophomore Alexander Brachman said that his basement was badly flooded.

According to GW News, Red Cross chapters in the northern part of the state even opened up six shelters to help those displaced by the flooding.

These floods and deaths occurred mainly in suburban Atlanta, as the metropolitan area rests at a higher altitude than the surrounding areas. That is not to say that urban areas were not hit as well.

Fulton County schools closed their doors to students and faculty on Sept. 22 due to the torrential rain. The rain and flooding affected both urban and suburban families.

“In my 22 years in the fire department here in Gwinnett, we have not experienced flooding to this degree,” said Capt. Thomas Rutledge of the Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services said to WSBTV2 News Station.

This may be because Atlanta is perpetually in a drought. Since 2000, water levels all around the state have fallen consistently leaving state officials concerned and state lakes dipping below their usual water level.

Because of the consistently small amount of rainfall the area receives, the ground is hard and unable to absorb the close to 22 inches of water that fell. Rather than flowing into the ground, the water simply runs along it, causing rivers to overflow.

The rain has now stopped but with Carroll County’s Snake Creek swollen from its usual 2-foot depth to 22 feet deep and 7 people killed the damage is done. Atlantans must regroup and get their lives back together following this uncommon weather disaster.