Storm brings twister, floods to states across Deep South
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Harvey spread its misery into the Deep South as flooded creeks drove people from their homes in Tennessee and Kentucky and an apparent tornado damaged homes and toppled trees in a rural area of northwest Alabama.
More than 50 people were evacuated from a Nashville neighborhood due to flooding from Harvey, but no deaths or injuries have been reported, according to a statement Friday from the Nashville Office of Emergency Management.
The agency said remnants from Harvey dumped nearly 9 inches of rain in some areas over a 24-hour period and crews responded to dozens of calls overnight requesting aid. About 40 people took refuge in a Red Cross shelter set up at a church.
Richard Williams said he and his wife were rescued from their home south of Nashville overnight. “When I woke up, the water was up to my waist,” Williams said.
Near Monteagle, northeast of Chattanooga in south-central Tennessee, Interstate 24 was shut down in both directions Friday after high winds knocked down power lines. Traffic backed up for miles.
Meanwhile, more than two dozen people were evacuated from homes Friday in the small south Kentucky town of Guthrie. Mayor Scott Marshall said authorities used boats to rescue residents.
The rains also flooded low-lying streets in Memphis, as the western Tennessee city reported power outages late Thursday and rivers in the area swelled. Though still a tropical depression, Harvey also began shedding its tropical characteristics overnight as its rain bands extended farther across Tennessee and Kentucky on its forecast path toward the Ohio Valley. Forecasters said the storm likely would dissipate Saturday evening around Ohio.
Meanwhile, flood warnings remained in effect near rivers in western and middle Tennessee. Flash flood warnings also were in place for parts of Kentucky. Those came as the storm slogged deeper into the nation’s interior after its catastrophic drenching of parts of Texas and Louisiana.
In northwest Alabama, high winds damaged several homes near the city of Reform and minor injuries were reported. Jason Holmes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Birmingham, said a tornado was the likely cause of the damage.