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News from Friday:
The effects of Hurricane Helene's rain and winds are causing damage across East Tennessee.
The steady rain from a typical storm first started saturating East Tennessee this week, then the outer bands of Hurricane Helene, blew into the Southern Appalachians. Now the remnants of the storm have made their way here, bringing the winds that caused damage across a swath of Florida and Georgia.
"Downed trees and power lines causing power outages are expected. Turn around, don't drown," experts at the National Weather Service office in Morristown warned.
Schools are closed and football games are canceled.
Here's what we're seeing around the region. This blog will be updated throughout the day and afternoon.
Emergency flash flood warning issued along Nolichucky River
The National Weather Service in Morristown issued a flash flood warning at 11:35 p.m. after Nolichucky Dam operators reported "the failure of Nolichucky Dam causing flash flooding downstream."
The flash flood warning is for north central Cocke County, southwestern Greene County and southeastern Hamblen County in East Tennessee.
People are urged to follow any evacuation order and never to drive into floodwaters.
The Tennessee Valley Authority confirmed the report at 12:13 a.m. in a post on the social media platform X, saying, "Potentially life-threatening flooding can occur as far downstream as Douglas Reservoir."
Douglas Reservoir is about 40 miles west of Nolichucky Dam and about six miles south of the juncture of Interstates 40 and 81.
The Nolichucky Dam, eight miles southwest of Greeneville, was built in 1913 and is no longer a hydroelectric station. It creates the Davy Crockett Reservoir, a prime location for smallmouth bass fishing.
The Nolichucky River starts in North Carolina and flows into the French Broad River in East Tennessee. It's a world-class whitewater rafting destination.
Earlier, TVA had announced the Nolichucky Dam in Greene County was nearing its threshold, though the dam had not failed.
The extreme rainfall is finally making its way through the rivers and dams, causing them to rise even as the rain has stopped.
The Nolichucky River at the Nolichucky Dam rose from 43.32 feet at 4 p.m. Sept. 25 to 62.57 feet at 10:15 p.m. Sept. 27, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration models. The measurements are qualified, meaning they are combined with local expertise and experience to arrive at true figures.
Gov. Bill Lee declares an emergency
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order for "critical relief to victims of severe weather and flooding."
He asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide resources as well.
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn asked President Joe Biden to approve Lee's request for a disaster declaration.
"Catastrophic flash flooding has devastated communities across East Tennessee, causing I-40 to collapse and leaving homes destroyed," she wrote in the letter.
Sevier County asks residents to conserve water
Parts of Sevier County are served by Newport Utility District, which is experiencing significant flooding.
Customers in these areas are asked to only use water if necessary due to critically low levels:
- Jones Cove Road
- Richardson Cove Road
- Bogard Road
- Pearl Valley Road
National Weather Service watches and warnings
Even though the rain is mostly over for Knoxville, risks from flooding and strong winds continue through at least 8 p.m. Sept. 27, the National Weather Service warns.
- Flood watches and flash flood warnings are continuing through today.
- High wind warnings have been issued essentially for the whole day as well. Gusts will be high in the mountains of course, but even in the valley they will be dangerous.
Cocke County, Newport evacuations ordered after false alarm over 'catastrophic' dam failure
Officials in Cocke County urged all of downtown Newport to evacuate immediately just after 3 p.m. Sept. 27 following reports that a North Carolina dam had "suffered a catastrophic failure," though the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said around 4:40 p.m. it was told by Duke Energy the dam had not failed.
Regardless of the specifics of what happened at the dam, dangerous flooding was widespread in Newport, displaying homeowners and city operations and prompting the evacuation of the Cocke County Jail.
Several water rescues have taken place. The Newport Community Center at433 Prospect Ave. is open for people who do not have a safe place to stay.
Rain forced the closure of Interstate 40 East in Cocke County at exit 432 as high water from the Pigeon Riverthreatened to overflow onto the interstate, said Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesperson Mark Nagi.
The Pigeon River at Newport rose to over three times its flood stage by 3 p.m. Sept. 27, blowing past record levels when it reached over 26 feet high. The previous record was 23 feet, 4 inches.
Similarly, the French Broad at Newport had reached over 18 feet by 2:45 p.m., but was expected to reach 23 feet. The record for the river is 24 feet.
More than 50 people rescued from Unicoi hospital roof
Fifty-four people were rescued from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital Sept. 27 afterdangerous floodingbrought on byTropical Storm Heleneforced their evacuation.
Staff and patients had to be evacuated because of "unusually high and rising water from the Nolichucky River," Ballad Health, which owns the hospital, wrote on social media. Floodwaters and high winds complicated reaching the evacuees by boats or helicopters.
Virginia State Police finished the rescue mission around 4:45 p.m. using two helicopters. The Knox County Sheriff's Office was sending its aviation team, Air Rescue 6, to assist with the rescue.
In the hours after the rescue, Unicoi County residents gathered near the hospital to take in the jaw-dropping scene of rushing water and floating debris. What now resembles a river, Unicoi County Clerk Patty Treadway told Knox News, used to be a pasture where neighbors saw the occasional horse.
"It's unbelievable," she said. "It's something I've never seen before, and I've lived here my whole life."
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East Tennessee counties saw varying shares of the heavy rainfall brought on by Hurricane Helene between Sept. 25, and the morning of Sept. 27. Roane County had the least amount of rain with 2.8 inches, according to theNational Weather Service.Sevier County saw the heaviest rainfall in the area, with around 10 inches of rain in the past three days, resulting in flash flood warnings. Knox County received about five inches of rainfall, the NWS reported. Check here to see how much rainfall various East Tennessee counties received. Rescue crews from Knoxville and their boats left for rescues in Carter County Eight swift water technicians from the Knoxville Fire Department and four Knoxville police officers trained in swift water rescues responded to requests for help in Carter County. The Knox County Sheriff's Office sent helicopters and crews to Unicoi County Hospital, about 100 miles away, to help with patient evacuations. The good news is no roads in the city of Knoxville are closed for flooding, but some might temporarily be blocked by downed trees: If a road is blocked near you, here's who to call: Knoxville nonemergency number is 865-215-4010 and the Knox County nonemergency number is 865-215-2444. Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced additional road closures Sept. 27 asremnants of Hurricane Helene passed throughEast Tennessee. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Great Smoky Mountains National Park areunder a flood warning until 9:54 a.m. Sept. 28, according to the National Weather Service. The park has received over 8 inches of rain at Newfound Gap and an additional 2-4 inches are possible, the National Park Service said in a Sept. 27 update. Aflood watch remains in effectthrough this afternoon. A high wind warning remains in effect through 8 p.m. Sept. 27. Risks of flooding, high winds, downed trees, landslides and power outages remain. The National Park Service is encouraging visitors to reschedule their trips. Updates will be on thepark websiteas available. Bristol Motor Speedway is opening its Medallion Campground to Hurricane Helene evacuees free of charge starting at 6 p.m. Sept. 27. Evacuees should check in using the posted QR code when they arrive, and speedway officials will check in with them the next day, a news release said. Thought you might take the kids to the library? Not today, as officials hope you opt to stay off the roads. All Knox County library locations will be closed but will resume a regular schedule Saturday. Flights to and from Florida and North Carolina were canceled overnight, and many others to different destinations are delayed. By 10:30 a.m. Sept. 27, McGhee Tyson had 10 flight cancellations in the last 24 hours, according to data from FlightAware.com. As Hurricane Helene moved north into George and the Carolinas, flight cancellations were clustered in Atlanta and Charlotte. Flights to Florida destinations, including St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport and Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, were running on time. All TDOT cameras in the Knoxville region show I-40 and I-75 traffic looking normal. When the winds began picking up in the morning, power outages spread across Knox County, leaving about 4% of KUB customers without power around 4 p.m. "Hurricane Helene's strong winds and heavy rain are impacting our service territory, resulting in widespread power outages," KUB said in a Facebook post. "Crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to repair damage and will continue to work until power is restored to all customers." KUB warned customers to stay away from downed trees and power lines. Is your power out? Start here on your phone. The Tennessee Valley Authority is carefully manipulating water levels around the region to avoid damaging floods, and warning anyone with shoreline property that water levels might rise rapidly. The TVA River Forecast Center reported late Sept. 27 that extremely high volumes of water were flowing into eastern tributary reservoirs including Watauga, Douglas and Fontana. Reservoir levels at Watauga, in Northeast Tennessee, are expected to reach record elevations this weekend and levels above Douglas Dam near Sevierville Tennessee are near capacity, TVA said in a news release. "We will need to release water from these dams to make room for more inflows. This is expected to result in shoreline flooding below these dams," TVA said in the release.How much rain has East Tennessee received?
Knoxville and Knox County sent trained crews to other cities for rescues
Knox County clears trees from roads, but some are still blocked
Great Smoky Mountains National Park closes more roads
Bristol Motor Speedway invites Helene evacuees to stay at campground
Knox County libraries are closed
McGhee Tyson flights canceled and delayed
Interstate traffic is flowing smoothly
KUB reports power outages around Knoxville
TVA warns of shoreline flooding
