Lightning strike prompts boil-water advisory in Carroll County

CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — Lightning struck a water line in Carroll County on Thursday, sparking a boil-water advisory for residents and prompting some parents to take their children home early from a local elementary school.

Channel 2's Audrey Washington was at Providence Elementary School, where parents said students showed up to school to find no power or water. The power issue was resolved, but a boil-water advisory was still in place by the end of the school day.

The school district issued a statement Thursday morning, saying in part:

"Bottled water has been provided throughout the morning, bagged lunches will be served, and hand sanitizer is available for everyone on campus."

That assurance wasn't enough for some parents, who showed up early to pick up their kids.

Washington talked to fourth-grader Cheyann Springer on Thursday around noon as she walked out of the school with her mother.

"They told us not to drink the water or wash our hands, because the water is dirty and if we drink it, we'll probably get sick," Cheyann said.

Cheyann's mother, Ashley Springer, decided to go ahead and pull her kids out of school early after she heard the news.

"Just so that they wouldn't be stressed with not having clean water," Springer said. "The school is pretty on top of it, and the church donated biscuits and water."

Still, Springer and her family were just a few of many who decided to head home because of the boil-water advisory.

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Villa Rica Mayor Jeff Reese wrote on his Facebook page that lightning struck a water main during Wednesday night's storms. County officials said the strike probably caused a water line break, which left a number of people, especially in the Cedars Glen subdivision, with dry faucets.

Channel 2's Darren Moore talked to Cedars Glen resident Robbie Meeks on Thursday morning.

"We have none," Moore said. "We've got no water at all."

By Thursday night, the boil-water advisory was still in effect.

Crews will continue to flush the affected water lines and test samples to make sure the water is safe to drink.

Thursday marks the sixth morning of rain in metro Atlanta.

Severe Weather Team 2 said it will last most of the day.

Cox Media Group