Tennessee flooding leaves 16 people dead and about 30 others missing, sheriff says

Severe flooding in Middle Tennessee on Saturday has killed at least 16 people and left approximately 30 people missing, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said.

Between five and seven of the missing are children, Davis said in an interview Sunday. The missing are largely from an area of the county that was most heavily impacted by the rising water levels.

The deceased range from “the children to the elderly,” Davis said. He previously told the station that two toddlers were among the dead.

“They just went and got one of my best friends and recovered him. He drowned in this,” the sheriff said, growing emotional. “It’s tough, but we’re going to move forward.”

Crews from Tennessee Emergency Management are on the scene and helping set up shelters for impacted residents. Davis said a curfew will remain in place. He asked people not to come to Waverly, the county seat, unless absolutely necessary.

“We would rather just ask you not to come into Waverly if you don’t have to,” he said. “It helps us control that and minimize the dangers that we have.”

According to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the impacted counties include Humphreys, Hickman, Houston, and Dickson, and drivers were urged to not attempt to cross flood roads.

A reunification center has been opened at McEwen High School, the sheriff’s office said. Shelters have been opened in Waverly, Dickson, and Centerville, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said in a statement Saturday night.

According to the National Weather Service in Nashville, more than 17 inches of rain was measured in McEwen on Saturday, possibly setting a new state record for 24-hour rainfall, though the data still needs to be checked before the new record is official. The previous record was set in September 1982 with 13.6 inches of rain in Milan, Tennessee.

Numerous state agencies have responded, TEMA said, including the Tennessee National Guard, the state Department of Transportation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the Tennessee Department of Health.

The Tennessee National Guard said Saturday night it was deploying nearly 50 soldiers to respond to the severe flooding, and that it sent a Blackhawk helicopter to the scene to assist with water rescues.
Tactical vehicles and Humvees are also being used in rescue operations.

“Our first priority is to assist with getting responders to access the area and conduct rescue operations,” Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes said in a tweet. “We’ll continue to increase the number of forces as the situation dictates and we’ll be positioning additional specialty units to respond as needed.”

The deadly flash flooding event — along with the extreme rainfall seen in New York City thanks to Hurricane Henri — are becoming more common due to human-caused global warming, scientists say. A recent UN climate report said the “frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events have increased since the 1950s over most land area.”