Tennessee Towns Left Gutted by Catastrophic Flash Flood

At least 10 dead and dozens missing
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 22, 2021 7:15 AM CDT
At Least 10 Dead, Dozens Missing in Tenn. Flash Floods
Layers of pavement are ripped up from Harris Road following heavy rainfall and flooding on Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021, in Dickson, Tenn.   (Josie Norris/The Tennessean via AP)

Catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee left at least ten people dead and dozens missing Saturday as record-shattering rainfall washed away homes and rural roads, authorities said. Business owner Kansas Klein watched in horror from a bridge Saturday morning as cars and entire houses were swept down a road in Waverly, a town of about 4,500 people that Klein, 48, has called home for more than half his life, per the AP. Two girls who were holding on to a puppy and clinging to a wooden board swept past, far too fast for Klein and other onlookers to go down and grab hold of them. After being told by authorities to go back, Klein returned a couple hours later, shocked that the floodwaters had almost entirely receded and aghast at the destruction that was left behind. “It was amazing how quick it came and how quick it left,” Klein said.

Low-income homes—dozens of block buildings known as Brookside—appeared to have borne the brunt of the flash flood, Klein said. “It was devastating: buildings were knocked down, half of them were destroyed,” Klein said. “People were pulling out bodies of people who had drowned and didn’t make it out.” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told news outlets more than 30 people have been reported missing. It was not immediately clear how many had lived at Brookside, located about 60 miles west of Nashville. Two of the bodies recovered were toddlers who had been swept away from their father, Davis told WSMV-TV. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee tweeted on Saturday, “Tennesseans, please stay cautious of rising floodwaters caused by heavy rainfall in parts of Middle TN. We are actively working with emergency response officials & first responders as they support Tennesseans in flooded areas.”
(More Tennessee stories.)

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