CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Clarksville residents are still grappling with the aftermath of the weekend flooding and are now contending with snowfall that has recorded some of the highest totals in the area.
This snowfall follows severe storms that impacted parts of Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky.
“It’s never flooded this bad,” said Roger and Sharon Pearson. “This is the worst it’s ever been.”
If you’ve never visited the Woodstock neighborhood, you might mistake it for a waterfront property.
“Look out through here, and you think there's a lake that's not,” Roger explained.
The weekend storms caused significant devastation, forcing many neighbors, including the Pearsons, to evacuate. They noted that no official notice was given to leave, which led to some residents needing rescue.
“We just left on our own,” the couple added. “We had no kind of notice or anything.”
We first met the Pearsons on Monday when their children were kayaking to retrieve medications from their home. We checked back in on Wednesday to see how they were doing, and the current temperatures are adding to their stress and worries.
“The freezing temperatures, on top of that, have us concerned about freezing pipes,” said Roger.
“The longer the water sits in the cold, combined with the fact that we have no heat, makes me worry that our floors will buckle,” added Sharon.
As the snow and ice continue to melt, runoff is pooling downhill, worsening the existing water accumulation. Residents are increasingly worried about the damage.
“No one here has flood insurance,” said Roger. “We're not in a flood zone.”
The residential area is not close to either the Cumberland or Red Rivers, which flow through Clarksville. Neighbors believe that the city had resolved the flooding issues from the flood in 2010.
Just over the hill, Kentucky’s governor has declared a state of emergency, and residents are hopeful Tennessee’s governor will follow suit.
“This is a disaster, and it's not getting any better,” said Sharon.
As they await the declaration that would allow FEMA assistance to come in, residents are asking officials to start pumping the water out.
“The City of Clarksville just forgot about us,” Roger explained. “We don’t exist.”
We reached out to the City of Clarksville regarding these concerns. They provided the following statements:
Clarksville Neighborhood & Community Services
"The City of Clarksville is working with Emergency Management, United Way, Red Cross, and many local nonprofit response teams to ensure our residents receive immediate relief. We are all responding and ready to help. Recovery efforts will continue over the coming days, weeks, and months. Those efforts will depend on the capacity of those organizations and donations from our neighbors,” said Michelle Austin, Director of Clarksville Neighborhood & Community Services.
"Residents seeking assistance and those who want to support their neighbors should visit cmcresponds.org to register or contribute to the efforts."
Mayor Joe Pitts
"In short, no one has been forgotten," said Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts. "We are working on multiple fronts to address and assess the situation. Having Patrick Sheehan, TEMA Director, on the ground with the Governor yesterday was a significant step toward securing federal help for individual property owners.”
"Michelle has assembled a strong team with a clear strategy to help. We are working the plan," Pitts added.
On Thursday, February 20, Governor Bill Lee's Press Secretary, Elizabeth Johnson, told NewsChannel5, "Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is continuing damage assessments, which must be completed prior to determining next steps.
Tennesseans in Montgomery and Obion counties face a long road to recovery after severe flooding, and Gov. Lee will continue working with local officials to identify opportunities to further support recovery efforts," said Johnson.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@newschannel5.com
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-Rebecca Schleicher
