Death toll climbing: historic weekend flooding leaves at least 21 dead in Middle Tennesse
The death toll continues to climb Sunday after catastrophic floodwaters swept through Middle Tennessee. As of Sunday, the death toll stands at 22 with dozens of people still missing. The hardest-hit area is Humphreys County, which is just west of Nashville.
More images from #Waverly TN on Saturday after the flood. The damage is just everywhere. So many destroyed vehicles, homes moved off their foundations, businesses destroyed and debris. Pray for these folks. I talked to some who had no flood insurance. pic.twitter.com/2vTpVlS73O
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith1043) August 22, 2021
Slow-moving summer showers and storms developed Saturday, continuing through much of the day, dumping extremely heavy rainfall. Almost a foot and a half (17 inches of rain in McEwen–Humphreys County) fell in parts of the state leading to devastating flash flooding. This heavy rain sent the Piney River (at Vernon) to a record crest of nearly 32 feet. This surpassed the record by 12 feet (2019).
Here's a look at estimated rainfall totals from the catastrophic flash flooding event that occurred over parts of the Tennessee Valley yesterday. A narrow swath of 8"+ fell along
an elevated stationary boundary over western Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/xGutvhzxKV— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) August 22, 2021
Damage in every direction in Waverly, TN. #waverly pic.twitter.com/FWC92QEb2y
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith1043) August 22, 2021
The recovery efforts are underway as the water begins to recede and intense searches are ongoing to locate dozens of people who are unaccounted for after Saturday’s flood.
Absolute devastation this morning in Waverly, Tennessee from major flooding last night. Local reports of over 17” of rain was observed. Photos from the Hardin County Fire Department. As of 8pm last night there were 10 confirmed fatalities and 31 missing. #TNwx pic.twitter.com/YZWZ317wQ4
— Beth Carpenter | TDS Weather (@B_Carp01) August 22, 2021