Tennessee Flooding Wreaks Havoc
The threat of more heavy rainstorms loom as emergency personnel in Tennessee are coping with evacuations and road closures from heavy flooding that claimed the lives of five of the state’s residents.
A string of very strong thunderstorms barreled across Tennessee, dumping at least ten inches of rain on the Memphis area and spurning tornadoes and hail along the Mississippi River Valley and northward. It is feared that rescuers could find it very difficult to get to all of the areas affected by these storms as the forecast is calling for even more rain.
The exact causes of the five deaths in Tennessee are related to the storm, but it is not yet known exactly how these people died. It was reported by one local newspaper that two of the victims were caught in rising creek water in Stewart County and were swept away in its currents.
The heavy rainstorms followed a day of tornado activity in Arkansas which claimed the life of one woman and injured at least twenty more. Interstate 24 southeast of Nashville is closed due to flooding and it is unknown when it will re-open. People are being asked to stay off the roadways unless they must travel in the case of emergencies. The National Guard has been deployed to help residents recover from the storm.
The most hard-hit area of the state was in the southwest with Memphis reporting numerous streets and roadways impassable. In Millington, a levee was breached along the Big Creek River north of Memphis. It was reported that five feet of water had flooded up to 300 homes at the Naval Support Activity base there in Millington.
In neighboring Shelby county, the evacuation of hundreds of residents took place due to the rising threat of flooding, including Navy base residents and inmates at a federal penitentiary. Millington was so hard hit as a matter of fact that most roads going into and leaving the city had been closed due to flooding. A Red Cross shelter has been set up in Millington, after some residents were forced to escape by boat after up to seven feet of flood water threatened homes. The water was approaching and filling many homes so quickly that residents barely escaped in time. One resident reported waking up to water in his living room, which he had to swim through in order to make it out and up on the roof where he was picked up later by help arriving by boat.
