Heavy rain triggers 'catastrophic' flash floods in Middle Tennessee: What we know

Heavy rain sparked catastrophic flash flooding across parts of Middle Tennessee on Saturday, trapping residents in homes and vehicles and shutting down part of Interstate 40. 

Between 8 and 12 inches of rain fell across Houston, Humphreys, Dickson and Hickman counties, according to the National Weather Service. In McEwen, located in Humphreys County, a whopping 14.5 inches of rain fell over 12 hours, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority. Local totals may approach 17 inches as more reports come in, TVA said. 

© James Bendall/For the Herald Swiftwater rescue teams at residences on Yellow Creek Road in Dickson County on Saturday.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a state of emergency as it coordinated the statewide effort to help the affected counties.

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Water rescue teams from across the state deployed to Humphreys County, including the Tennessee Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team. Water rescue crews from Nashville, Dickson County and Williamson County were also dispatched. 

NWS Nashville meteorologist Krissy Hurley said they heard reports of Humphreys County residents trapped in homes with water up to their necks. No deaths or injuries have been confirmed by press time. 

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"It is catastrophic," Hurley said. "The worst kind of situation."

'I have nothing': Waverly woman shares harrowing rescue

A Waverly couple was rescued from the attic of their home after being stranded for several hours.

“Hell. That’s what we had to go through,” said 48-year-old Cindy Dunn.

She and her husband Jimmy Dunn, 49, were rescued by a crew driving a bulldozer that raised the bucket up to their attic window. Now, they are heading to Clarksville with family.

© Cindy Dunn/Submitted Waverly resident Cindy Dunn said water rose as high as six feet in their home on Saturday, forcing she and her husband to wait in their attic until they were rescued.

She said they lost everything. 

“I have no credit cards. I have no bank cards. No IDs. I have nothing,” she said.

Their morning began normally enough, according to Cindy Dunn. 

“My husband said one minute he was (watching TV news) and the next minute we had no garage,” she said. 

Her husband woke her up to say her car had floated to the back yard. The water in their house rose to at least 6 feet high, forcing them into the attic. She said climbing onto their rooftop was not an option. 

“My husband is dealing with cancer. He’s going through chemotherapy," she said. "And I am an amputee. So there was no going anywhere besides the attic."

Cindy Dunn said their home and the neighboring houses “are gone.”

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Rare 'flash flood emergency' issued; records broken 

NWS Nashville issued a rare "flash flood emergency" for Houston, Humphreys, Dickson and Hickman counties as the rain fell. 

Hurley said a record-level buildup of moisture in the atmosphere helped drive Saturday's rainfall. She said the floods were aggravated by storms that "trained," meaning they moved across the same areas over and over again. 

Hurley said it's difficult to determine a daily rainfall record in the four affected counties since the NWS does not have official observation sites in the area. Volunteers help relay reports of rainfall totals. 

Still, Hurley was confident Saturday easily surpassed the daily rainfall record for the region. 

The Piney River, which runs through Hickman County, shattered its record high as it reached 31.8 feet by midday, NWS Nashville said. The previous record was 20.08 feet, set in February 2019. 

By comparison, Saturday's rainfall totals surpass that of the deadly March 2021 flash flooding in the Nashville area, which averaged between 6 and 8 inches. In September 2020, the Nolensville and Mt. Pleasant areas experienced flooding after 5 to 8 inches of rainfall.

In the historic May 2010 flood in Tennessee, the heaviest rainfall averaged between 14 and 15 inches in just two days across Davidson, Williamson, Dickson, Hickman, Benton, Perry, and Humphreys counties. 

Agencies statewide rush to help

An emergency operations center was set up in Nashville to coordinate response to the floods, TEMA reported. Shelters were also opened in Dickson, Hickman and Humphreys counties. The Tennessee Highway Patrol was on hand in all four of the affected counties to help with traffic, water rescues and general law enforcement duties, TEMA said. 

Gov. Bill Lee tweeted about the situation around 12:30 p.m. Saturday and urged caution for those in the affected areas. 

"We are actively working with emergency response officials & first responders as they support Tennesseans in flooded areas," Lee wrote. 

The Tennessee National Guard, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Department of Education, Tennessee Department of Human Needs, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Fire Mutual Aid, and more were involved, according to TEMA. 

Reach Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com and on Twitter @rachelannwegner. Reach Brinley Hineman at bhineman@tennessean.com and on Twitter @brinleyhineman. 

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Heavy rain triggers 'catastrophic' flash floods in Middle Tennessee: What we know