Parts of Tennessee are still dealing with the effects of heavy rainfall over the weekend.
Up to 17 inches of rain fell over middle Tennessee on Saturday, bringing catastrophic flooding to areas in Humphreys County, including the towns of Waverly and McEwen.
"I would expect, given the number of fatalities, that we're going to see mostly recovery efforts at this point rather than rescue efforts," Tennessee Emergency Management Director Patrick Sheehan told the Associated Press.
At least 22 people died in the flooding, including twin infants. Emergency service crews continue to search through debris for dozens of missing people. A reunification center was set up at McEwen High School as well as several shelters across the area.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said the area will be "overwhelmed' for at least 30 days as the damage from the flooding extends up to 10 miles.
Schools in the county remain closed this week and the 8:00 p.m. curfew remains in effect, officials said.
In a news conference, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee described a "tremendous loss of life" in Waverly, with "homes washed off their foundations, cars strewn around the community."
"It is a devastating picture of loss and heartache," he said.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden offered his condolences to the victims and pledged to provide federal support to Tennesse.
The live updates for this blog have ended.
KEY MOMENTS
- The Tennessee National Guard is on the scene to assists in Wavery
- Over $50k raised for funeral expenses for twin babies who died during the flood
- Saturday's rain in McEwen breaks state record for single-day rainfall
Humphreys County Sheriff said the area will be "overwhelmed" for the next 30 days
In a press briefing Monday, Waverly Police Chief Grant Gillespie said search efforts are continuing along the creek channel and in neighborhoods.
"It's been tough," Chief Gillespie said. "We've been affected from city limit to city limit. It's been a huge impact to this small community."
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said the damage from the flooding goes up to 10 miles. He noted the "mass destruction," including houses that moved right off of their foundations.
"Our people need help. We are going to be overwhelmed for the next 30 days at least," he said.
He thanked everyone for the outpour of love and support.
"I've always said our people of our country are our biggest asset," Davis said.
However, Chief Gillespie said that there have been reports of "shady contractors" who may be trying to take advantage of victims.
He said there was no illegal activity, but that some people asking for money upfront or promising work without a contract.
"I would ask residents to be very careful about who you conduct business with," he said. "Please vet those people and make sure you are doing business with legitimate contractors, buildingers are handymen."
The 8:00 p.m. curfew will remain in effect for the next several days, Chief Gillespie said.
German resident sends letter of support to Tennessee flood victims
The Humphreys County Sheriff's Office shared an email it received from a person in Germany whose house was flooded after massive rainfall last month.
"We wanted to share this eMail with our people to ensure we all know not to lose hope. We are a strong community full of great people. We will persevere through this," the office said in a Facebook post. "Read this email and know, people are with us from all over the world."
The letter read:
"Dear Sir or Madam,
Today it was in the news in Germany that your town was severely hit by a flood event - in a similar way as we experienced this five weeks ago in the valley of the river Ahr in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, where I live.
The cause was - as in your case - a great amount of rain that fell in a very short period of time.
141 people died. More than 70 are still missing.
Some villages were destroyed completely and the infrastructure of the valley is damaged for years.
My house, too, was flooded completely and I lost my home [and] everything that was in it.
But I experienced that there were people from other regions in Germany that came to our valley simply to help. There were people I did not know at all that offered help, be it that they offered manpower and machines via internet portals, be it that they [simply] came with buckets and rubber boots and shovels to help, or be it by giving a donation for the flood victims.
This was a good experience, to feel that we are not alone.
To make it short: I would like to share this experience, hoping that this may be soothing for you in Waverley to see that you, too, are not alone in this distress and grieve.
Please let me know how I can send 150 USD to someone who does not know how to pay for the damage he has or even how to pay for the burial of someone he lost.
I can do this by bank transfer or paypal, for example. Sending a cheque is rather difficult, as cheques are no longer used for payments in Germany."
Humphreys County Schools will remain closed this week
Humphreys County schools will remain closed this week in the wake of the devastating floods in Middle Tennessee.
"Decisions regarding the reopening of schools will be made week by week. We will release more information as we assess the situation of our school system infrastructure and the conditions in the county," the district said, according to a Facebook post from McEwen High School.
Richard Rye, the director of Humphreys County schools, told WSMV that several buildings were in shambles and half the school buses were not operational.
But Rye said his focus is on finding students who are still missing.
"Right now, I'm not worried about the schools," Rye said. "We'll rebuild, we'll clean them. We'll do what we've got to do to get our kids back to school, but right now we're worried about our kids."
20 people missing in Waverly, Tennesseee
As search and rescue efforts continue, the Waverly Department of Public Safety has released a list of missing persons following this weekend's floods.
The department listed the names of the 20 missing persons on its Facebook page.
If anyone has talked to or physically seen any of the people listed, they are urged to call 913-582-6950 or go to McEwen High School from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.
"These are the spellings that were given so they may not be 100% accurate," the department said in a Facebook post. "If you know someone that is not on this list call and report to the same location. When you report we need your name, address, phone number, and the current location of the person."
"We have several reported by first names only. Please if you previously reported someone missing and have now found them CALL US and let us know they are safe. We have resources searching inch by inch, in and out of debris."
Register safe from the flooding or find a missing loved one at safeandwell.org
If you are in an area impacted by the severe flooding in Tennessee, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is urging you to register as safe with the American Red Cross.
Those looking for missing loved ones can also check the website to find someone who is unaccounted for.
Visit safeandwell.org to register as safe or to find someone.
— American Red Cross of Tennessee (@RedCrossTN) August 23, 2021Let loved ones know you are safe from the severe flooding by registering at https://t.co/o9iDKXZ7te under “Middle Tennessee Flooding.”
Looking for someone?
✅Check https://t.co/o9iDKXZ7te.
✅Call during off-peak hours or send a text.
✅Check their social media for updates. pic.twitter.com/KP7azNhx7b
Tennessee Governor urges donations to churches and nonprofits to help flood victims
During an interview on Brian Wilson's radio show, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee praised the first responders in Waverly and urged people to donate to nonprofits helping flood victims in the area.
"First responders from all over the state have converged on Waverly," he said. "The coordinated response has been impressive and significant."
Red Cross volunteers are working around the clock to provide shelter, water, food, relief supplies and comfort to families affected by Saturday’s flash flooding in Middle Tennessee. Sunday night, Red Cross and our partners cared for 93 people in emergency shelters. pic.twitter.com/PL94FM322a
— American Red Cross of Tennessee (@RedCrossTN) August 23, 2021
Lee said several churches have opened as shelters for those who lost their homes and reunification centers for families to find their missing loved ones.
"It's the intersection between tragedy and response to tragedy that provides so much hope and encouragement in the midst of what seemed hopeless before," Lee said.
He added that the greatest need right now is for victims to "find ways to put their lives back together."
He directed people to make financial and supplies donations to the nonprofits working in the area, including local churches, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Community Foundation and the Community Resource Center.
Our friends at @CRCNashville are in need of the following items & volunteer shifts filled to help in the immediate relief of #tennesseeflooding survivors. pic.twitter.com/na7CChfAoj
— Community Foundation (@CFMT) August 23, 2021
Tennessee National Guard continues to assists efforts in Waverly
Over 50 members of the Tennessee National Guard continue to provide assistance in areas of Humphreys County impacted by massive flooding.
The Tennessee National Guard's Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team and a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter from Nashville's 1-230th Air Cavalry Regiment are helping with water rescues, according to a statement from the Tennessee National Guard.
Medics from the Tennessee National Guard's Medical Command in Smyrna were airlifted to Waverly's Three Rivers Hospital to support medical staff.
"Our first priority is to assist with getting responders access to the area and conduct rescue operations," Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes, Tennessee adjutant general, said in a statement. "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."
"This is all about agility and teamwork with trusted agency partners and we're fortunate to have those relationships developed through many hours of training together," he added.
Twin babies among victims of Tennessee flooding
More than $50,000 was raised in an online fundraiser to help the family of twin babies who died in the Tennessee floods.
The babies' grandmother Angie Willeby told WKRN that the seven-month-old twins, Ryan and Rileigh, died after being swept away by the floodwaters in Wavery over the weekend.
When the parents tried to escape the rising waters with their four children, Ryan and Rileigh were swept away. Willeby said the twins' bodies were later found after an extensive search.
The GoFundMe page has raised $54,421 for funeral expenses as of Monday morning.
McEwen, Tennessee received record-breaking rainfall Saturday
Saturday rainfalls reached 17.02 inches in McEwen, in Humphreys County, according to the National Weather Service.
"We were getting rainfall rates of 3 inches per hour for three hours straight," Krissy Hurley, warning coordination meteorologist for the Nashville weather service office, told CNN. "It's an unheard-of, astronomical type of statistic to see after the fact."
According to the NWS Nashville station, if the measurements in McEwen are confirmed, Saturday's storm would break the state record for one-day rainfall by more than 3 inches.
PRELIMINARY: the 17.02" of rain measured at McEwen, TN today likely broke the all-time 24 hour rainfall record for the state of #Tennessee - which was 13.60" in Milan set on September 13, 1982. Data will have to be QC'ed before the new record can be confirmed! #tnwx
— NWS Nashville (@NWSNashville) August 22, 2021
Teacher trapped in school by rising floodwaters saved by friend with a boat
A teacher at Waverly Elementary School was rescued from her school by a co-worker as floodwaters rose in Waverly, Tennessee over the weekend.
As the heavy rainfall pounded Middle Tennessee Saturday, Bobbie Jo Scholes rushed to the school to prevent rising water from damaging the building.
According to WKRN, Scholes and another teacher soon found themselves trapped inside by the rising waters.
Scholes called a colleague who was able to rescue her with a boat.
"My partner, my teaching partner, her name is Frankie, a dear friend, and she was one of the few that I had called," Scholes told WKRN. "And she said 'I couldn't sit around and not do anything' so she said I came to the end of town and I was gonna find somebody with a boat and she found somebody with a boat."
The foreman of country singer Loretta Lynn's ranch died in the flood
Among the 22 dead in the floods in Middle Tennessee was the foreman of the ranch own by country music icon Loretta Lynn.
Wayne Spears worked on Lynn's ranch for decades and was considered a family friend. He died when he was swept up in the floodwaters.
"There are no words at the ranch today...only tears," Lynn wrote in a Facebook post. "Our ranch family is our family. [Wayne] took such good care of things here on the ranch for us. He's one of us and the whole Lynn family Is heartbroken."
Lynn and her family are safe, according to her granddaughter, country singer Tayla Lynn.
"The Ranch will never be the same without him but he will always be remembered for his ready smile, kind heart, and willingness to go the extra mile for everyone around him," the ranch's Facebook pages posted.
"Eventually we'll rebuild our community, our ranch, our lives and our homes. But only God could build a man like Wayne Spears. There's just no replacing that."
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