At least three people have died after heavy rain and flash flooding lashed Chattanooga, Tennessee, overnight Tuesday and shut down interstates, stranded cars and prompted swift-water rescues.
A family of two adults and one child died after a tree fell on their car in East Ridge Wednesday morning, the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
At least one man is also missing in the floodwaters, authorities said. First responders saw the man being swept away and attempted to look for him by swift-water boat, but were unable to find him. The search for that man is a “top priority this morning at first light,” the Office of Emergency Management said.
Chattanooga Airport recorded 6.42 inches of rain on Tuesday, the second wettest day in the city’s history since records began in 1879, the National Weather Service Office in Morristown said.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp declared a local state of emergency due to the flash flooding.
Muddy brown floodwaters turned highways into rivers. One video showed a big rig driving through Interstate 24 with water levels reaching the trailer. Video footage also showed cars swirling in floods with water reaching up to the windows.
Road closures Tuesday included I-24 and I-24. The waters receded Wednesday morning, and as of 12:30 a.m. local time, the I-24 was clear and open in both directions.
The Chattanooga Fire Department and Hamilton County Sheriff's Office's swift-water rescue teams raced to help stranded motorists and locals trapped in their homes.
Six people were rescued by the fire department after a van was nearly swept away in a nearby overflowing creek at Davidson Road and Gunbarrel Road late Tuesday night. No injuries were reported.
“Firefighters spent hours checking sunken cars for any trapped people. This was a large coordinated response effort by city, county and state agencies as flash flooding caused dangerous situations in Chattanooga,” the fire department said.
Tennessee prompts Chattanooga to declare state of emergency
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