ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Authorities are searching for a man who went missing while canoeing on a Gilmer County lake during Tuesday night’s intense storms. Sean Cunningham, 37, was last heard from at 11:26 p.m. Before his phone died, he was taking cover under a dock on Carter’s Lake near Woodring Campground in Ellijay, the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office says. Since then, kayakers have found his backpack. His truck was also found, but the canoe remains missing. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Overnight storms topple trees, damage homes and vehicles across metro Atlanta The sheriff’s office drone team, the county’s search and rescue team and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are all looking for Cunningham. On Friday, DNR said boats are on the water, using sonar to search an area 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. At some points, the search area’s depth reaches 350 feet. Steve Blakeney, a fisherman at the lake for a competition, called the ordeal concerning. “I talked to the rescue people, and they said they hadn’t found anything yet. It’s sad that we could possibly lose someone to the water having fun,“ Blakeney said. Blakeney said it is very uncommon to see someone on the water in stormy weather conditions and so late at night, especially in a canoe. “He doesn’t have lights, he doesn’t have a motor, and no one can see him. He has no way to get help,” said Blakeney. Anyone with information is asked to call the Georgia Department of Natural Resources at (800) 366-2661, the…
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