Fatal Tenn. flooding shuts schools, roads

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Authorities in eastern Tennessee have begun assessing damage in the area after heavy rain and flooding left one person dead.

The Knox County area experienced nine days of rain. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a state of emergency.

Many roads closed over the weekend, and several school districts in eastern Tennessee were closed on Monday, including Knox County Schools. One man died when his car was trapped in the floodwaters, and a woman was rescued from her vehicle after it also became trapped.

Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay went out with the Knox County Sheriff ’s Office on Saturday night to assess the damage.

“I went ... to assess different areas of town so if I had constituents call, I could have information,” Jay said. “I also wanted to show support of our reserve deputies. We had a lot of reserve deputies who came out and volunteered their time as a safety measure.”

Jay said it was “the most water I’ve seen in my 25 years in and around Knoxville.”

“What I saw was just massive areas of flooding in all areas of town,” Jay said.

Jay said he was with officers where a man died early Sunday after his car was submerged.

“I saw a really remarkable team of first responders who really came together and figured out how to keep Knox County safe,” Jay said.

“It’s a great testament to our first responders ... who probably prevented a lot of further disasters last night.”

Jay praised first responders from various agencies for being “one solidified group” and said they were prepared to deal with the flooding. Jay said he hoped Knox County residents would come together.

“At the end of the day, Knox County residents are resilient, and we really pull together,” Jay said. “The community will come together and help each other.”

Jim Snowden, deputy director of the Knox County Department of Engineering and Public Works, said not many mud or landslides were found in the area.

“All things considered, we were lucky with the storm that we had,” Snowden said.