Market2021 Tennessee floods
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2021 Tennessee floods

Between midnight and 10:00 am CDT on Saturday, August 21, 2021, very heavy rainfall resulted in widespread flash flooding across western Middle Tennessee, including the town of Waverly. During the event, much of a five-county area received up to a quarter of normal annual rainfall in under 12 hours, as much as 10 to 15 inches. In a situation described as catastrophic, Waverly was severely damaged by floodwater, with hundreds of homes and dozens of businesses destroyed and swept away. Numerous people became trapped, leading to widespread water rescues. The event resulted in 19 fatalities in Waverly, with another in nearby Hurricane Mills, and is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in Tennessee history. The event broke the 24-hour rainfall record in Tennessee, with over 20 inches (510 mm) of rain falling in McEwen. Flooding also occurred in parts of western Kentucky, but to a much lesser extent.

Meteorological synopsis
A stalled frontal boundary west of Nashville led to training thunderstorms during the early hours of August 21, producing very heavy rainfall rates across the counties of Stewart, Houston, Dickson, Humphreys, and Hickman. Precipitable water values reached as high as at 7 a.m. CDT, breaking the previous record of for that specific date and time. Rain started shortly after midnight and intensified throughout the morning, quickly filling area creeks and streams. By daybreak, numerous homes and businesses had been flooded in Humphreys County, leading to evacuations and water rescues. A rain gauge operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority in McEwen recorded of rain, setting a provisional daily rainfall record in Tennessee. This broke the previous record of recorded in Milan in 1982. The previous highest daily record rainfall in Middle Tennessee was in Franklin in May 2010, and the two-day total for Nashville in 2010 was . Months later, in December, another rain gauge in McEwen, located at the McEwen Wastewater Treatment Plant, was officially verified as the state record, having recorded of rain, breaking the previous record by slightly over . The historic rainfall totals in McEwen and resulting flooding event in Waverly were compounded by a drop in elevation along Trace Creek as it flows westward into Waverly, ==Damage==
Damage
A level three state of emergency was declared by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) for Dickson, Hickman, Houston, and Humphreys counties in response to the flooding event. As many as 4,200 customers were left without power by that afternoon, 3,500 of which were in Humphreys County. Humphreys County/Waverly Areas near the town of McEwen received the most rainfall from the event, as much as in some places. Much of the floodwater exited the area westward along Trace Creek, causing large swells which inundated much of Waverly, just to the west. Waverly had received comparatively less rainfall than McEwen but was flooded by runoff from upstream. In Waverly, many homes and businesses became flooded after 6 a.m. CDT, prompting evacuations and water rescues. Waverly Elementary School and Waverly Junior High School were both inundated with several feet of water, and the Humphreys County 911 center was rendered inoperable by the flooding. Officials in Waverly commented that had the flood occurred during a weekday, the schools would have been full of students and would have been impossible to evacuate in time. Roads into Waverly became impassable, with crews trying to perform rescue operations unable to reach some areas. Cell phone service in the area was disrupted as well, complicating initial response and recovery efforts. The county water system was reported down by the Humphreys County Sheriff, Just west of town, Waverly Central High School was impacted, with the football field, stadium, weight room, and locker room all being destroyed by the flood. In Humphreys County, at least 509 homes were impacted by flooding, 271 of which were completely destroyed. Eight public facilities and 44 commercial properties sustained damage, many of which were in downtown Waverly. The Humphreys County sheriff commented: "We have well over 125 homes that are just gone – off the foundation, twisted, turned, or just gone." Ten bridges in the county remained closed well after the event as a result of flood damage, including the westbound U.S. 70 bridge over Trace Creek, the TN 230 bridges over Hurricane Creek, and seven county-owned bridges across Trace Creek, Blue Creek, Hurricane Creek, Little Hurricane Creek, and Bateman Branch. However, the State Route 230 bridge over the Piney River remained closed, requiring extensive repair. Kentucky The northern extent of the main area excessive rainfall and flooding was over the Jackson Purchase in Kentucky, specifically Calloway County. In the New Concord area, Highway 121 was closed by high floodwaters, while a bridge along Highway 280 had pavement washed away. Up to of rain fell in parts of Calloway County, although Murray only received . In Marshall County, Highway 1462 was closed at the Clarks River bridge, while flooding in McCracken County was observed in the Reidland area following roughly of rain. Casualties By that evening, 10 deaths were confirmed in Humphreys County by the local sheriff, along with several people reported missing. and by August 24, the count of missing was down to seven. On August 25, it was reported that all missing people had been located, and the death toll was revised down to 20 as authorities completed more accurate counts. ==Relief efforts and aftermath==
Relief efforts and aftermath
Initial relief efforts included TEMA opening shelters in Waverly, Dickson, and Centerville to house displaced families. Hickman, Houston, and Dickson counties were added to the disaster declaration on August 25. Many groups and organizations came to the aid of residents, such as the Red Cross, which assisted in TEMA and local partners in setting up shelters and bringing in supplies. The Mount Juliet High School football team donated gear to Waverly Central High School to replace items lost in the flooding, and the Tennessee Titans organization donated $50,000 to flood relief, in addition to offering a new washer and dryer and use of Nissan Stadium to the Waverly football team for homes games during the season. Calls from parents and residents of Humphreys County led school officials to consider relocating Waverly Elementary and Junior High schools away from Trace Creek to prevent damage from future flooding. The Appalachia Service Project (ASP) worked with volunteers to rebuild five homes for families that were affected by the flooding by August 2022, with the goal to eventually rebuild 25 homes. Property damage from the event was estimated at $101,110,000 (2021 USD). ==See also==
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