Authorities revise death toll in Tenn. flooding to 18
WAVERLY, Tenn. – Authorities revised the confirmed death toll from flooding in rural Tennessee over the weekend to 18 people from as high as 22, saying the miscount was an honest mistake.
Waverly police Chief Grant Gillespie said some people who were in the emergency room and died of natural causes were mistakenly added to the count. Gillespie said John and Jane Doe victims twice were not crossed off the list once they were identified.
Gillespie said authorities had detectives follow up on each case and confirm the numbers, which now line up with the state tally.
“Just an honest mistake, and I hope everybody understands that,” Gillespie said. “It’s still a tremendous loss of life. I hope that number doesn’t grow.”
Three people are still on the list of those missing who witnesses said they saw in the water, he said.
Meanwhile, the state received approval from President Joe Biden for a major disaster declaration, which frees up federal aid to help with recovery efforts in Humphreys County, the White House said in a statement Tuesday.
After touring the area on Sunday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee called it a “devastating picture of loss and heartache.”
The flooding took out roads, cellphone towers and telephone lines, leaving people uncertain about whether family and friends survived the unprecedented deluge, with rainfall that more than tripled forecasts and shattered the state’s one-day record.
GoFundMe pages sought help for funeral expenses for the dead, including 7-month-old twins swept from their father’s arms as they tried to escape.
Matthew Rigney and Danielle Hall described to WTVF-TV how the water began to rage through their apartment where they sheltered with their four children.
“I had the twins in my arms, I had (19-month-old) Brayla on my hip and I had (5-year-old) Maleah wrapped around my neck,” Rigney told the news station, his voice trembling behind tears. “The water, when it hit us it just pulled us under, all of us and we were trapped underneath a bed.”
Hall said she was trying to climb out the window to go to a nearby store for help and ended up having to grab onto a tree for her life.
The other two children survived.