At least three people dead in US state of Tennessee flash floods
The three, a mother, father, and child, were killed when saturated ground caused a large tree to fall in the Chattanooga suburb of East Ridge just after midnight, Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management spokesperson Amy Maxwell said.
Authorities said they found another body on Wednesday while searching for a man who was swept away when he ran past firefighters and a barricade blocking a flooded road on Tuesday, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department.
Local police and a medical examiner are expected to determine the cause of death, US media reported.
People were stuck in vehicles and homes
At a news conference on Wednesday, officials said they didn't expect so much rain and flooding to hit so quickly.
At one point, there were 60 vehicles on the flooded interstate, said Chris Adams, director of emergency management for Hamilton County. Some first responders were carrying people on their backs who couldn't move well through the water and placed them on the raised highway divider, Adams added.
'We all know to 'turn around, not drown,' but when you look at it and it's 2 inches deep, and then next thing you know it's 4 feet deep, that's something you've never seen before,' Adams said.
The flooding prompted rescues of people stuck in homes and swamped vehicles, officials said.
Some six million people were under a flood watch through Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service, which also warned of the potential for training storms, particularly over already saturated terrain, and sporadic flash flooding with tropical-like heavy rains.
Heavy rains triggering floods across US
Chattanooga's airport recorded more than 6.4 inches (about 16 centimetres) of rain Tuesday, marking the second-wettest day recorded for the city dating back to 1879, according to a social media post by the National Weather Service in Morristown.
The highest single-day total was nearly 9.5 inches (24 centimetres) in September 2011 from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, the weather service said.
Chattanooga Fire Department officials said their crews had to rescue people trapped in vehicles and residents stuck in their homes. Although flooding closed parts of Interstate 24 in the area, it reopened once floodwaters receded, authorities said.
This summer, parts of the US are seeing more flash flooding, as record-breaking rains pour in some regions, something scientists attribute to climate change brought on by pollution from fossil fuels.
According to weather forecasts, several areas of the United States will see pockets of severe thunderstorms during the weekend, increasing the possibility of lightning, gusty winds, and flash flooding.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Hurricane Erin intensifies offshore, lashes Caribbean with rain
The first hurricane of what is expected to be a particularly intense Atlantic season, Erin is expected to drench Caribbean islands with rain and strong winds but not make landfall. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest report the storm's maximum sustained winds had increased to 160 miles (255 kilometers) per hour. It was located about 135 miles (215 kilometers) northwest of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the US and British Virgin Islands. A flash flood warning was issued for Saint Thomas and Saint John in the US Virgin Islands as outer rain bands from Erin swept across, according to the US National Weather Service. Tropical storm watches were in effect for St Martin, St Barthelemy, Sint Maarten and the Turks and Caicos Islands. "Erin is now a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane," the NHC announced earlier Saturday, denoting highly dangerous storms with sustained windspeeds above above 157 mph. The storm reached the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale just over 24 hours after becoming a Category 1 hurricane, a rapid intensification that scientists say has become more common due to global warming. The hurricane's center is expected to move over the weekend just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It is then forecast to pass east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas on Sunday night before weakening. The storm could drench the islands with as much as six inches (15 centimeters) of rain in isolated areas, the NHC said. "Continued rapid strengthening is expected today, followed by fluctuations in intensity through the weekend," the agency said in an earlier report. It also warned of "locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides." Climate hazard Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend. Those swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the US East Coast early next week, creating "life-threatening surf and rip currents," the NHC said. The hurricane is expected to turn northwest on Saturday night, then turn northward early next week. It is expected to weaken from Monday. While meteorologists have expressed confidence that Erin will remain well off the US coastline, they said the storm could still cause dangerous waves and erosion in places such as North Carolina. The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June until late November, is expected to be more intense than normal, US meteorologists predict. Several powerful storms wreaked havoc in the region last year, including Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 200 people in the southeastern United States. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- which operates the NHC -- has been subject to budget cuts and layoffs as part of US President Donald Trump's plans to greatly reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, leading to fears of lapses in storm forecasting. Human-driven climate change -- namely, rising sea temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels -- has increased both the possibility of the development of more intense storms, and their more rapid intensification, scientists say.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Euronews
Heavy rain and flooding in Tennessee kill at least four
At least four people were killed during heavy rain and flooding in Tennessee, as submerged roads caused chaos and led to dramatic rescues of people trapped in their cars, authorities said Wednesday. A family of three were killed when saturated ground caused a large tree to fall in the Chattanooga suburb of East Ridge just after midnight, Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management spokesperson Amy Maxwell said. Authorities said they found another body on Wednesday while searching for a man who was swept away when he ran past firefighters and a barricade blocking a flooded road on Tuesday, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department. Local police and a medical examiner are expected to determine the cause of death, US media reported. At a news conference on Wednesday, officials said they did not expect so much rain and flooding to hit so quickly. At one point, there were 60 vehicles on the flooded interstate, said Chris Adams, director of emergency management for Hamilton County. Some first responders were carrying people on their backs who couldn't move well through the water and placed them on the raised highway divider, Adams added. 'We all know to 'turn around, not drown,' but when you look at it and it's 2 inches deep, and then next thing you know it's 4 feet deep, that's something you've never seen before,' Adams said. The flooding prompted rescues of people stuck in homes and swamped vehicles, officials said. Some 6 million people were under a flood watch through Wednesday night, according to the US National Weather Service, which also warned of the potential for training storms, particularly over already saturated terrain, and sporadic flash flooding with tropical-like heavy rains. Heavy rain triggers floods across US Chattanooga's airport recorded more than 16 centimetres of rain Tuesday, marking the second-wettest day since 1879, according to a social media post by the National Weather Service in Morristown. The highest single-day total reached nearly 24 centimetres in September 2011 after the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee struck Chattanooga, the weather service said. Chattanooga Fire Department officials said their crews had to rescue people trapped in vehicles and residents stuck in their homes. Although flooding closed parts of Interstate 24 in the area, it reopened once floodwaters receded, authorities said. This summer, parts of the US are experiencing more frequent flash flooding, as record-breaking rains hit some regions, a phenomenon that scientists attribute to climate change caused by pollution from fossil fuels. Last month, the US National Weather Service had already issued over 3,600 flash flood warnings nationwide, nearly equal to its annual average. And according to the latest weather forecasts, several areas of the US will see pockets of severe thunderstorms during the weekend, increasing the possibility of lightning, gusty winds, and flash flooding.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Euronews
At least three people dead in US state of Tennessee flash floods
At least three people from the same family were among those killed during heavy rain and flooding in Tennessee, as submerged roads caused chaos and led to dramatic rescues of people trapped in their cars, authorities said Wednesday. The three, a mother, father, and child, were killed when saturated ground caused a large tree to fall in the Chattanooga suburb of East Ridge just after midnight, Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management spokesperson Amy Maxwell said. Authorities said they found another body on Wednesday while searching for a man who was swept away when he ran past firefighters and a barricade blocking a flooded road on Tuesday, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department. Local police and a medical examiner are expected to determine the cause of death, US media reported. People were stuck in vehicles and homes At a news conference on Wednesday, officials said they didn't expect so much rain and flooding to hit so quickly. At one point, there were 60 vehicles on the flooded interstate, said Chris Adams, director of emergency management for Hamilton County. Some first responders were carrying people on their backs who couldn't move well through the water and placed them on the raised highway divider, Adams added. 'We all know to 'turn around, not drown,' but when you look at it and it's 2 inches deep, and then next thing you know it's 4 feet deep, that's something you've never seen before,' Adams said. The flooding prompted rescues of people stuck in homes and swamped vehicles, officials said. Some six million people were under a flood watch through Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service, which also warned of the potential for training storms, particularly over already saturated terrain, and sporadic flash flooding with tropical-like heavy rains. Heavy rains triggering floods across US Chattanooga's airport recorded more than 6.4 inches (about 16 centimetres) of rain Tuesday, marking the second-wettest day recorded for the city dating back to 1879, according to a social media post by the National Weather Service in Morristown. The highest single-day total was nearly 9.5 inches (24 centimetres) in September 2011 from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, the weather service said. Chattanooga Fire Department officials said their crews had to rescue people trapped in vehicles and residents stuck in their homes. Although flooding closed parts of Interstate 24 in the area, it reopened once floodwaters receded, authorities said. This summer, parts of the US are seeing more flash flooding, as record-breaking rains pour in some regions, something scientists attribute to climate change brought on by pollution from fossil fuels. According to weather forecasts, several areas of the United States will see pockets of severe thunderstorms during the weekend, increasing the possibility of lightning, gusty winds, and flash flooding.
