Residents Of Humphreys County Clean Up As Officials Assess Damage From Deadly Flood

The torrent washed houses clean off their foundations. Cars and trucks, once parked in driveways, now litter creek beds throughout the hilly community. One even filled with river rocks during the float downstream.

A list of more than 40 people, including two children, was released Sunday afternoon by the Waverly Department of Public Safety: the names of those who were still unaccounted for following the rampage of water that raged through Humphreys County on Saturday morning.

As of Monday afternoon, the missing persons list had shrunk to 18 people, and Humphreys County and Waverly police and fire officials are asking residents to continue reporting anyone who has been found.

But that list is not comprehensive, and the exact number of missing persons remains unclear. Officials are asking the public to report neighbors, friends and family members who they haven’t seen and are concerned about.

“We’re not going to stop going and checking on our people. We’re not doing that,” said Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis. “If somebody has a concern, get us that information. Get us the address and we’re going to take care of it.”

Search and rescue crews are spray-painting vehicles with an “X” once they’ve been cleared. But the debris field left by the flash flood, bringing as much as 17 inches of rain in some spots, is extensive. Also, cell phone service is still spotty, making communication even more difficult.

“We have resources searching inch by inch, in and out of debris,” the department said in its Facebook posting, asking people to call a hotline or meet at McEwen High School if they know anyone’s whereabouts. The reunification center will remain open on Monday.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency says 60 people were reconnected to family and friends at the site Sunday.

Caroline Eggers WPLN News

First-responders had trouble reaching some of the most hard-hit areas because several roads have been severely damaged.

The Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office has also been connecting families with survivors through its Facebook page. One family pleaded for any news of a 6-year-old girl. Her body was found on Sunday.

The search is ongoing, but it’s taking a turn.

“I would expect, given the number of fatalities we have seen so far, that we’re going to see mostly recovery efforts at this point rather than rescue efforts,” Tennessee Emergency Management Agency director Patrick Sheehan said Sunday evening.

Social media is also where some people discovered that friends are among the confirmed fatalities — 16 deaths as of Sunday evening, according to TEMA. Local law enforcement agencies are reporting even higher fatalities, which will then be double checked through the state’s process.

More: Flood Relief — How You Can Help

Caroline Eggers WPLN News

Everything washed down stream when the flood waters hit — from houses to hay bales. Creeks are now littered with massive debris piles pushed on banks and against bridges.

On Sunday, Brian Doyle of Murray, Ky., learned his friend Mark Kee didn’t make it out of the floodwaters alive.

“I hope he wasn’t too scared,” Doyle tells WPLN News. “That’s all I could think of. That’s all I can still think of.”

Doyle says he and Kee, who ran a pawn shop in Waverly, bonded over their love of antique Samurai swords.

Gov. Bill Lee, along with Tennessee’s U.S. senators, toured the area of greatest impact Sunday afternoon and stopped to talk with several victims.

“They would see water in their yard and within minutes, they would move to a neighbor who had a second floor,” Lee says. “It was dramatic to hear the stories of how fast this happened, which is part of the reason so many lost their lives and there are still so many missing.”

Ricky Larkin was one of those who barely escaped alive. He and his wife used a new mattress still in the plastic cover as a life raft in their apartment. Once the water was up five feet, they escaped out a window and ended up being rescued with a rope.

“It takes a lot to scare me, but that did,” Larkin says. “I really thought we were going to die.”

President Joe Biden referenced the devastation during a Sunday afternoon press conference. A federal disaster declaration is likely to come within days, given the extent of the damage. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee asked Biden to expedite the state’s major disaster declaration request.

State and federal emergency management agencies have also begun preliminary damage assessments in Dickson, Hickman, Houston, and Humphries counties.

In the city of Waverly, which is one of the hardest hit communities, officials estimate that it’ll cost millions of dollars to repair the damaged infrastructure. As of Monday morning, utility workers, neighbors and volunteers packed city blocks to remove debris from homes and torn up yards. Law enforcement officers also led recovery efforts in search of those who are deceased.

By Monday afternoon, utility crews fully restored power in Houston and Dickson counties. In Humphreys and Hickman counties, however, 2,700 homes and buildings are still without power. The majority of outages are in Humphreys County.

Some areas are beginning to clear up and many residents have also had their cell phone services restored. But preliminary damage estimates have not yet been calculated.

Humphreys County has canceled school for the week, as at least three schools sustained major damage and dozens of buses were flooded. Fewer people are without power, but 3,000 remained in the dark Sunday night. A boil water notice remains in effect for the city of Waverly.

This story is developing and was last updated at 2:07 p.m. Monday.

Caroline Eggers WPLN News

Several congregations, including Waverly Church of Christ, are now acting as shelters, with many people unable to live in their flooded homes.