A ruthless heavy rain and stormy days that killed at least 18 people have exacerbated the flooding as some rivers have already risen to record levels and flooded towns that have flooded parts of the already saturated southern and Midwest of the United States.
The city ordered evacuation, rescued inflatable boat crews who checked residents in Kentucky and Tennessee, and stopped electricity and gas in the area spreading from Texas to Ohio.
“I think everyone was shocked by how quickly the river’s) actually appeared,” said salon owner Jessica Tugle.
She said that with every wave of new rainfall arrived over the weekend, the uneasy residents wanted a reprieve, so they could understand how bad things could be and how to prepare. She and her friends have put together everything she can carry out of the salon, including styling chairs, hair products, electronics.
“Everyone can ‘stop the rain, stop the rain’ and see what the worst will happen,” she said.
Authorities diverted traffic and turned it off to businesses in the city as the river was expected to approach a record high on Monday.
For many, there was a sense that it was scary that the worst was still coming.
“As long as I’m alive and as long as I’m 52, this is the worst I’ve ever seen,” said WendyQuia, general manager of Brown Barrel Restaurant in Downtown.
“The rain won’t stop,” Choir said Sunday. “It’s stopped for days and days.”
The storm leaves a devastating effect
Tennessee’s 10 reported 18 deaths since the storm began on Wednesday included 10. The 9-year-old Kentucky was caught in a flood while walking to board a school bus. The 5-year-old Arkansas boy died after a tree fell on his family’s home, police said. A 16-year-old volunteer Missouri firefighter was killed when he crashed while trying to rescue people caught in the storm.
The National Weather Service warned on Sunday that dozens of locations in multiple states are expected to reach as much widespread flooding as possible on structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure.
In northern Kentucky, emergency authorities ordered forced evacuations of Falmouth and Butler, towns near the corner of the rising Fari River. Thirty years ago, the river reached a 50-foot record, killing five people and destroying 1,000 homes.
The Kentucky River climbed at Frank Fort Rock at 48.27 feet Monday morning, shy of a 48.5 feet record on December 10, 1978, Louisville, Kentucky, offices, according to CJ Padgett, a meteorologist with the Department of Weather. The other areas are in a major flood stage, but the predicted coat of arms of this location is the closest to that record.
Carroll County Assistant Judge Michael Humphrey, Kentucky, has ordered forced evacuations in several locations, warning that “significant flood events that history has never seen before” are expected.
“If the evacuation fails, there is no guarantee that there will be resources to provide your rescue,” his order posted on Facebook said.
More than 100 structures have been destroyed in McNairy County, Tennessee, where tornadoes are estimated to pass through the town of Selmer to winds up to 160 mph, local emergency management officials said. State officials have confirmed that five people have been killed due to bad weather in the county, with around 26,100 residents.
The storm comes after the Trump administration cut jobs at the National Weather Service forecast office, leaving half of that vacancy rates about 20%, or twice as high as 10 years ago.
Why is the weather so troublesome?
Forecasters attributed violent weather to warm temperatures, unstable atmospheres, strong winds and abundant water flow from the Gulf Coast.
The National Weather Service said 5.06 inches of rain fell in Jonesboro, Ark on Saturday. Memphis, Tennessee received 14 inches of rain from Wednesday to Sunday, the weather department said.
Rives, a northwestern Tennessee town of about 200 people, was almost completely underwater after the Obion River flooded.
Domanic Scott went to check out the pastor’s father after he hadn’t heard from him at the house where the water reached the front door.
“This is the first home we’ve ever paid off. Insurance companies around here don’t give flood insurance to anyone living in Rives because we’re too close to rivers and embankments.
In Dyersburg, Tennessee, dozens of people arrived at a storm shelter near a public school that held blankets, pillows and other essentials over the weekend. Just a few days ago, the city was hit by a tornado, causing millions of dollars in damage.
For some, grabbing the essentials also meant looking into the liquor cabinets.
At Frankfort, water rose to the windowsill and resident Bill Jones fled the house by boat.
Schreiner and Hall write for the Associated Press. New York AP writer Anthony Izaguirre; Kimberly Crusi of Nashville. Andrew DeMiro, Little Rock, Ark. Adrian Sainz of Memphis. Ten; Sarah Raza of Sioux Falls, SD; Obedo Rumie of Ribbs, Tennessee. Sofia Turrene of Chicago contributed to this report.
