NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Three people are dead and 100 are missing in East Tennessee after catastrophic flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
The number of missing and dead are expected to rise, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
"I will caveat that TEMA uses a deliberate process that we are accounting for people harmed and adequate time can be made to loved ones before it's broadcasted," TEMA director Patrick Sheehan said. "If you're hearing about more fatalities and there's a discrepancy to the numbers, we apply a high level of scrutiny. I know we will have other fatalities with this disaster. That makes this for me a tragedy. Our prayers go to the families and to the lost."
President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration for several counties in East Tennessee, where road and water infrastructure washed away. Interstate 40 and Interstate 26 have gaping holes missing while 13 water utility districts aren't able to provide water for their customers.
Gov. Bill Lee asked for federal help on Friday afternoon after more than 50 people were stuck on a hospital roof in Unicoi County. Sheehan said Tennessee didn't ask for help before the storm because it wasn't forecasted to hit Tennessee as hard as it did. Those receiving disaster relief help are in Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Johnson, and Unicoi counties.
"This will be a long hard long process," Sheehan said. "For context, we still are doing disaster recovery from the great 2010 flood of Tennessee. This kind of flooding — we know there is a long road ahead. We are working to get resources on there."
A lot has happened in East Tennessee. Here's what we know so far about this disaster.
If you still can't reach someone you love
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has established a hotline to coordinate reports of missing persons in the areas affected by the recent flooding in Northeast Tennessee.
Those wishing to report missing individuals believed to be in the affected areas across East Tennessee may contact 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463).
If you are calling, you should be prepared to relay as much identifying information as possible.
That includes names, phone numbers, vehicle identification and last known whereabouts.
"We are trying to help find the missing," Sheehan said. "We want to emphasize that for search and find operations."
How you can help
If you're sitting here in Middle Tennessee and feeling huge empathy for the neighbors to the east, you can help.
However, that doesn't mean packing up the car with supplies and going directly there this week.
"People just showing up is not helpful," Sheehan said. "Cash is the best way to help survivors. TEMA isn't managing these donations and we work with nonprofits. Someone who lost their home receiving a couch today doesn't do them a whole a lot of good."
Both The East Tennessee Foundation and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee will take donations through the Neighbor to Neighbor Disaster Relief Fund.
In a week, East Tennessee will need help with cleanup and mucking out.
"We have had a lot of well-meaning folks getting turned around by troopers and TDOT," Sheehan said. "They are getting turned around because there's no place for them to go. We will have opportunities for those folks."
Some people don't have water
Right now, 13 public water systems have reported significant problems. Two systems have destroyed intakes in Greeneville and Newport.
TEMA is working with both state and federal agencies to get a rapid solution.
"Concurrent with that, we are moving as much bottled water as we can to those communities," Sheehan said. "We are trying to find locations to push water and get those points of distribution set up. The national guard has been airlifting water to those stranded since Saturday."
TEMA said they are trying to set up sustained water distribution sites for weeks and even months to come.
Some bridges and roads no longer exist
As of today, at least 400 Tennessee Department of Transportation workers are in East Tennessee looking at the damage.
Hundreds of bridges aren't usable at this time. TDOT is working to bring those back online.
Fourteen bridges are closed and five are destroyed.
Those numbers will increase, Sheehan said.
There are a lot of great schools in our area. Congratulations to four schools in the mid-state that were awarded National Blue Ribbons for Academic Execellence. The were among six in Tennessee to receive that honor. They were among 356 schools across the United States to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education!
-Lelan Statom
