Floods in Tennessee: Research efforts halt as death toll rises to 20

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“The recovery of the 20 known flood victims has been completed,” the Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency said in a statement Wednesday. The families of the victims have been notified.

Tennessee woman broadcast live of the flooding shortly before it claimed her life

“We are sad that our tally is now 20, but we are happy that our families now have the closure they need to continue,” said Waverly Police and Fire Chief Grant Gillespie. “We have suspended all search operations. We no longer expect them to find other victims, but we are still on standby if anyone is missing to resume this search.”

Torrential storms that hit Middle Tennessee on Saturday – up to 15 inches of rain over a six-hour period, officials said – caused flash floods, with several communities rushing to safety to avoid rising sea levels. waters.

“With the recovery of all known casualties, the transition will be more completely in the cleanup process. A massive effort by the National Guard and the Tennessee Department of Transportation will begin tomorrow for debris removal,” said the Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency.

Damaged homes and cars are seen in Waverly, Tennessee on Wednesday.

Damage assessments are underway and on Wednesday 272 homes were destroyed, while 168 others suffered major damage and 31 sustained minor damage, the emergency management agency said.

To help recover from catastrophic flooding, President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration, which will provide financial assistance to affected individuals and households in Humphreys County, Governor Bill Lee said on Tuesday. Those affected can apply for FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program.
On Wednesday, Lee announced that residents of Dickson, Hickman and Houston counties would also be eligible for assistance.
Parents recall distressing times before their 7-month-old twins were killed in Tennessee floods

“We are working closely with federal government and community leaders to ensure that flood-affected Tennessee counties receive the help they need to rebuild and recover effectively,” Lee said.

“We have people who are in their homes that had water up to their knees and up to their waists, and now the water has receded,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said Tuesday. .

“You’ve seen us get a little emotional through some of these things,” Davis said. “You have to remember: these are people we know. These are families of people we know. These are people we grew up with. These are just people from our little county. And it’s very close to us. “

CNN’s Aya Elamroussi, Jackson Dill, Steve Almasy, Hollie Silverman and Gregory Lemos contributed to this report.

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