Austell Childcare Center Rescue by Cobb Fire

The heroism of Cobb County Firefighters was on full display this week. Members rescued nearly three dozen people after torrential rains from Tropical Depression Fred flooded a nearby drainage area, sending rainwater gushing through the Always Kids Child Care Center in Austell.

Heavy rain from a storm passing through Georgia was too much for a culvert near Sanders Elementary School, at the intersection of Anderson Mill Road and Brookwood Drive as water filled the parking lot and the area began to quickly flood on Thursday. A call was quickly placed to Cobb County Fire that water was rapidly rising and overtaking the area daycare.

A Cobb fire spokesman described the day care as being “overcome with swift-moving floodwaters” after rain moved through the area at about 4:30 p.m. Per Cobb fire spokesman Nicholas Danz, “By the time we got there, there were areas that were waist deep in water for our rescuers. For a preschooler, that’s over their head.” Diaz also said employees were unable to get out of the building because the pressure from the rising water pinned the door shut.

Four adults and 27 children were stranded by the rising water and were eventually rescued. Firefighters carried some children out of the building, while others were loaded onto an inflatable raft and pulled through the flooded parking lot. All were relocated to Sanders Elementary where concerned parents were eager to pick up their children. Each came through the ordeal unharmed.

The low-lying area where the daycare is located in Austell has seen its share of flooding through the years, which suggests that this area needs some help to prevent future flooding.