A catastrophic flood in Tennessee has left at least 22 people dead, including twin children torn from their father’s arms, and dozens more missing, officials and relatives said Sunday.
“Things are moving fast and we’re finding people right and left,” Humphreys Sheriff’s Chief of Staff Deputy Rob Edwards told the New York Times.
Among the deadly victims were 7-month-old twins, identified as Ryan and Riliegh by Grandma Angie Willeby at a Fox-TV subsidiary in Nashville. The grandmother said the babies were swept from their father’s arms in Waverly during Saturday’s instant flooding.
Sheriff Chris Davis fought back tears during a press conference Sunday while revealing that one of his best friends was also among the deadly victims in Middle Tennessee.
“They just went to look for one of my best friends and got him back. He drowned in it, ”the excited sheriff told WSMV.
“It’s hard, but we’re going to move forward,” he said.
“Today we’re really trying to get a good assessment, an overview and the scope of things.”
Between five and seven of the people still missing are children, and the confirmed dead range in age from “children to the elderly,” Davis told the dam.
On Saturday, the county’s small rural towns were engulfed in up to 17 inches of rain in less than 24 hours, possibly breaking the state’s record 13.6-inch one-day rainfall in 1982, according to the Service. Nashville National Weather. The numbers have yet to be checked before registration is made official.
“We are working very diligently to identify, photograph, gather and get answers to some questions for families and that sort of thing, and that’s really difficult, considering our logistics with our phones, with our communications,” explained the sheriff.
Tennessee Emergency Management workers have established shelters for residents in the cities of Waverly, Dickson and Centerville and a reunification center is open at McEwen High School, officials said.
About 50 state National Guard soldiers were deployed to assist in the rescue operations and a Blackhawk helicopter was sent, along with tactical vehicles and Humvees, to help them rescue water.
“Our first priority is to help us gain access for people responding to the area and conduct rescue operations,” said General Jeff Holmes he 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.”
Davis said a curfew in the county will remain in effect Sunday and urged people to avoid entering Waverly, one of the hardest-hit cities, unless necessary.
“We are really overwhelmed with love and affection. … We just have to slow down, evaluate, ”he said.
“We’d rather ask you not to enter Waverly if you don’t have to. … It helps us control it and minimize the dangers we face. “