Record Rains Cause Flash Flooding in Tennessee; 4 Dead

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Heavy rains across Tennessee flooded homes and roads, prompting officials to rescue dozens of people from houses, apartments and vehicles. Authorities said four bodies were found Sunday in the flood’s aftermath.

A flash flood emergency was declared overnight by the National Weather Service in Nashville for the city, as well as Brentwood, Franklin and Mt. Juliet.

“Major flash flooding is occurring with numerous roads, interstates, and homes flooded with water rescues ongoing!” the agency tweeted. “Please stay home and do not travel!”

The Nashville Fire Department and Emergency Operations Center tweeted that it responded to people in need all over Davidson County. To the south in Williamson County, over 34 swift water rescues were carried out, said county EMA Director Todd Horton during a media briefing. As many as 18 homes in one neighborhood had to be evacuated.

A portion of Interstate 40 was temporarily shut down due to high water that stranded a vehicle and its driver. The driver was able to get out of the vehicle and to safety, the Tennessee Highway Patrol in Nashville tweeted.

Metropolitan Nashville Police said on Twitter that the body of a man whose car was submerged in a creek was recovered Sunday. In a separate incident, another man’s body was found on a golf course, and police said it’s believed he tried to get out of a car that ran off a road into a culvert before being swept away by high water.

Police later said the bodies of a male and female were found in a wooded area near a Nashville homeless camp.

Nashville recorded 5.75 inches (14.6 centimeters) of rain on Saturday, the weather service said, setting a new record for the most rainfall in the city on a March day. It was also the fourth-wettest day in the city’s history. Almost another inch of rain fell after midnight.

Many rivers and creeks were at or near their highest level since 2010, according to the weather service. A flooding event in May 2010 caused 21 deaths in Tennessee and an estimated $1.5 billion in damage in Nashville.

Eight people and a dog were staying overnight at Brentwood City Hall after flooding from the Little Harpeth River forced residents from their homes, City Manager Kirk Bednar said. Hotels in the area were booked up, in part due to spring break, he said.

Fifteen people were rescued and two were taken to the hospital at the City View Apartments in south Nashville, where the lower level of the building was flooded in waist-deep water. The fire department responded to reports of a collapse at the building following a mudslide, news outlets reported. The two hospitalized patients had injuries not considered to be life-threatening.

March historically is a turbulent month for weather in Tennessee. Last March, tornadoes killed more than 20 people and destroyed more than 140 buildings in Middle Tennessee.

About the photo: A car that was carried by floodwaters leans against a tree in a creek Sunday, March 28, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. Heavy rain across Tennessee flooded homes and roads as a line of severe storms crossed the state. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)