Tennessee flooding kills 22 and destroys towns, with dozens of people missing
Non-stop heavy rains brought heavy flooding hitting parts of Tennessee last Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of homes were left damaged. Waverly was the most affected town when the deadly weekend storm struck. Authorities report that 21 people died, and 51 are missing.
The Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee confirmed the list of the missing and those killed. The dispatch here at the office also said they were working to implement house-to-house searches on the community.
Power lines are cluttered on the ground. Cars are scattered on lawns. Massive trees are also uprooted from the ground. The rainfall also hit a record high of 15 inches in Trace Creek Valley last Saturday.
The National Guard helped in rescues as the Red Cross built relief shelters. The governor and two US senators of Tennessee paid a visit, checked the damages, and offered sympathy.
I send my deepest condolences for the sudden and tragic loss of life due to flash flooding in Tennessee. We’ve reached out to the community and will offer any assistance they need in this terrible moment.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 22, 2021
Mayor Wallace Frazier of Waverly confirmed to Tennessee’s newspaper that the age range of the victims killed in flood is from babies to elderly. A report from the Washington Post cited that 7-month old twins died after. A surge of water swept them away while their parents were holding them.
Gov. Bill Lee uttered “Goodness gracious” while looking out the window in a car ride passing the ruined homes. Lee was disheartened as he saw residents sorting out their soggy stuff, checking if they could be saved.
Heavy rain knocked off trees, destroyed storefronts, and started fires in Humphreys County and Midstate, Tennessee. Yards and streets are covered with muck as the residents search through what was left to save.
The aftermath
Cornfields in Tumbling Creek Road got flooded by the nearby waterways. The roadway in Waverly Off Interstate 40 reopened last Sunday, but destruction is still visible everywhere.
Dangerous, life-threatening flash flooding continues across western Middle Tennessee this morning.
A compilation of photos, videos, and other reports from Twitter can be found here:https://t.co/OmniyJZQ8n
— NWS Nashville (@NWSNashville) August 21, 2021
In Blue Creek, mobile homes are destroyed and pushed around by the flood currents. The creek banks can be seen littered with abandoned cars tossed by floodwaters.
In The Tennessean, a 48-year old resident, Cindy Dunn, stated that she got stranded with her husband in their attic for hours. The floodwaters rose to 6 feet high in their home. They were saved by a rescue crew that used a bucket of bulldozers to get them.
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Vanessa Yates, 28, also had a frightening experience with her baby Coral. She placed her baby on top of the kitchen cabinet while the water grew inch by inch inside their home. Then she stood on the counter until the water reached her ankles. She tried to punch the window, thinking that they could easily get out if they were rescued.
US Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty come with the political contingent at 1 p.m.
Blackburn checked the damage at Waverly Elementary School. There were still about 4 feet of water in other areas as children’s books, art supplies, and folders were all outside the building covered with mud.
Tennessee’s Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told the Tennessean that this recent flooding event was the worst he experienced in his 28 years in service at Tennessee.
