HUMPHREYS COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Widespread flooding across the Mid-State made travel hazardous over the weekend. While water levels have started to recede in most areas, heavy rainfall in Humphreys County always brings a sense of uncertainty.
“We’re small-town USA, small county, Tennessee. We still have roads that have grass in the middle of them,” Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said.
Davis, who grew up in Humphreys County, always knew he wanted a career in law enforcement.
“I knew what I was going to do in high school,” he said.
Reflecting on his career, Davis says he’ll always remember Aug. 21, 2021, as the day everything went off the rails.
“It was a beast,” he said.
The catastrophic flooding that day killed 20 people in Waverly and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses.
So when emergency management officials reported nearly seven inches of rain fell in Waverly on Saturday, it brought back painful memories.
“When you’ve been through things like our community has been through, it gives you an uneasy feeling,” Davis said.
Peris Utti kept a close watch on Trace Creek as water levels rose.
“We kept watching out for this one because in the 2021 flooding, it reached the bottom of our house,” Utti said. “Most of this debris right here now came with the last flooding from Saturday.”
Davis said that fear is something many residents live with daily, so his department works to keep the public informed.
“We make ourselves easily accessible to our public, and we try to communicate as much information as we can back and forth,” he said.
Davis was concerned about this past weekend’s flooding but is thankful no one was injured and no homes were lost.
Still, he says the community will always stand together.
“Our biggest asset in our county is our people,” Davis said. “We’re going to take care of each other.”
The county’s emergency management director said cleanup efforts are still underway for farmland and bridges damaged by the flooding. He does not believe any homes were affected.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at aaron.cantrell@newschannel5.com
Fundraising efforts are underway in Brownsville and Nutbush, TN to build a statue for a major superstar who was raised there, Anna Mae Bullock. You probably know her by her stage name, Tina Turner. I was a huge fan of Tina and glad to see efforts are underway to showcase more of her ties to West Tennessee.
-Lelan Statom
