The flash flooding caused significant damage to homes and businesses in affected areas, particularly in McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee. First responders conducted rescues using rafts as floodwaters reached waist-deep levels in some locations. The overnight timing of the event increased the danger, as many residents were asleep when water levels rose. The National Weather Service's flash flood emergency emphasized the catastrophic potential of the flooding, which posed a severe risk to life and property.