2009 Southeastern United States floods

Continuous rain, spawned by moisture pulled from the Gulf of Mexico, fell faster than the local watersheds could drain the runoff.

On September 26, Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine raised the estimated cost to $500 million with the potential for it to rise.

[2] The River reached its second-highest level ever in Vinings at Paces Ferry Road, and would have surpassed its 1916 record were it not for the impoundment built in the 1950s.

[2] Peachtree Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee, topped its stream gauge and the bridge itself at Northside Drive, but remained just below its 1916 record.

However, Nancy Creek–another Chattahoochee River tributary–did reach a record level, destroying the Peachtree-Dunwoody Road bridge (which would reopen on March 23, 2010).

Many of the roller coasters and rides at Six Flags Over Georgia were partly underwater, with at least 80% of Great American Scream Machine submerged by the Chattahoochee River.

On September 22, The United States Geological Survey measured the greatest flow ever recorded on Sweetwater Creek, at 28,000 cubic feet per second (790 m3/s).

[2] The flooding from the creek was met with water from the swollen Chattahoochee River, which blocked Interstate 20 west of Atlanta for two days.

The Little River also caused major problems in the same area, blocking the original parallel route of Georgia 5 (which was replaced by I-575 in the 1980s), and Arnold Mill Road, north and east of Woodstock.

Kennesaw State University in Cobb County received significant flooding on several parts of campus including the east parking deck.

Water rushing into the Social Science building reportedly rose up to the bottom of the hand-rail of the first floor stairs.

Though because of heavy rainfall in Legacy Park subdivision, 3 buses had to return to Awtrey Middle School.

Beginning on September 24, President Barack Obama approved a Federal disaster declaration for all 17 Georgia counties as requested by Governor Perdue.