WAVERLY, Tenn. (WKRN) – On Saturday, heavy rains and storms severely impacted Dickson, Hickman, Houston, and Humphreys counties in Middle Tennessee.
The death toll in Humphreys County has now reached 22 people, according to Humphrey's County Sheriff Chris Davis.
The Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Nashville, Krissy Hurley, confirmed with News 2 that Saturday is now the deadliest flood event in Middle Tennessee history.
In addition to the deaths, EMA is reporting 51 people are currently missing from the county.
One of the hardest-hit areas was the city of Waverly in Humphreys County. Mayor Buddy Frazier said most people he’s spoken with felt totally caught off guard by the rainfall. “It was something like the quickness of a tornado I guess. Someone described it as a tidal wave.”
Waverly officials have now released a partial list of the missing people from the area.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee toured the impacted area Sunday afternoon. Lee was joined by Tennessee’s U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, Tennessee Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick Sheehan, and Commissioner Clay Bright of the Tennessee Dept. of Transportation.
Lee is set to speak, along with TEMA officials at a press conference scheduled for 5 p.m. CST. You can watch that briefing live in this post.
Rainfall totals range from 9 to 17 inches within a 6-hour period Saturday morning and another round of severe weather impacted the same area Saturday night.
Multiple bridges and roadways in the impacted area remain closed. Telecommunication services and electrical power are gradually being restored. Local and state personnel continue to work with flood survivors on reunification.
A Level 3 State of Emergency is currently active in Tennessee.
On Sunday afternoon, President Biden tweeted his support for Tennessee following the deadly flooding, "I send my deepest condolences for the sudden and tragic loss of life due to flash flooding in Tennessee. We’ve reached out to the community and will offer any assistance they need in this terrible moment," wrote Biden.
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