Between five and seven of the missing are children, Davis said in an interview Sunday. The missing come largely from an area of the county that was hardest hit by rising water levels.
The dead range from “children to the elderly,” Davis said. Previously, he told the station that there were two small children among the dead.
“They just went to look for one of my best friends and got him back. He drowned in it,” the sheriff said, excited. “It’s hard, but we’re going to move forward.”
Tennessee emergency management crews are on site and are helping to establish shelters for affected residents. Davis said the curfew will be maintained. He asked people not to come to Waverly, the county seat, unless absolutely necessary.
“We’d rather ask you not to come into Waverly if you don’t have to,” he said. “It helps us control it and minimize the dangers we have.”
According to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the affected counties include Humphreys, Hickman, Houston and Dickson, and drivers were urged not to attempt to cross flooded roads.
A reunification center has been opened at McEwen High School, the sheriff’s office said. Shelters have been opened in Waverly, Dickson and Centerville, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said in a statement Saturday night.
Numerous state agencies have responded, TEMA said, including the Tennessee National Guard, the State Department of Transportation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Health.
The Tennessee National Guard said Saturday night that it was deploying about 50 soldiers to respond to the severe flooding and that it sent a Blackhawk helicopter to the scene to help rescue water. Tactical vehicles and Humvees are also used in rescue operations.
“Our first priority is to help us gain users access to the area and conduct rescue operations,” General Jeff Holmes said in a tweet. “We will continue to increase the number of forces as the situation dictates and we will place additional special units to respond as needed.”
Deadly flood events, along with the extreme rainfall that was seen in New York City by Hurricane Henri, are becoming more frequent due to global warming caused by humans, scientists say. A recent United Nations climate report said that “the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall has increased since the 1950s on most of the earth’s surface.”
CNN’s Andy Rose and Alaa Elassar contributed to this report.