SecondLean on the street light in the car. The wreckage floated in the brown water. A silhouette of Jesus without a nose stopped in front of the destroyed guardrail. Sofas, desks, and potted plants are scattered in the garden. An entire house fell into a tree.
Images from Humphreys County, about 80 miles west of Nashville, show the extent of the damage caused by heavy rain and flooding over the weekend. On Sunday night, the death toll rose to 22, and about 22 people are still missing. According to the authorities, the youngest deceased was only seven months old.
On Sunday, Republican Governor Bill Lee visited the disaster site and inspected the damage. Then he talked about a “tragic and difficult” situation. “It presents a devastating picture of loss and sadness,” he said.
“Any Help Needed”
President Biden also expressed condolences. He has instructed his team to pledge federal assistance to the governor of Tennessee. “At this terrible moment, we provide whatever help is needed,” he said on Sunday afternoon.
Clean-up work and search for missing persons are still in progress; support comes from the National Guard, churches, and volunteers. The police appealed to the public for donations to support those who are now homeless indefinitely. According to the Tennessee newspaper, only 2% of Tennessee residents have flood insurance coverage.
The National Weather Service in Nashville called the area’s rainfall from Friday night to Saturday noon historic. They set a record in 1982 in Tennessee. The state has been raining heavily for a whole week. Local broadcaster WKRN, the mayor of Waverly, Humphreys County, said the storm was moving “almost as fast as a tornado” in central Tennessee. As the Civil Defense announced, the Dixon, Hickman, and Houston areas were also severely affected by the flooding.
No more rain is currently expected. The National Weather Service predicts that the weather will be even drier and warmer in the coming days. “At this point, we have not seen any dangerous weather for at least 7 days,” it said on Twitter.
