This archive report was first published on 23 August 2021.
On August 22, 2021, a record-breaking rainfall in Tennessee caused devastating floods that left at least 21 people dead and 20 missing, according to local officials.
The floods, which dumped as much as 17 inches of rain, affected rural roads, state highways, bridges, and hundreds of homes, causing widespread power outages that affected thousands of people.
Waverly, a town in Humphreys County with a population of around 4,500, was particularly hard hit, with 20 of the victims dying there. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee described the scene as a 'picture of loss and heartache.'
Police Chief Grant Gillespie said the other death was in a more remote area of the county. Initially, about 40 people were reported missing, but by late afternoon that number had been halved.
Authorities have imposed a nighttime curfew amid efforts to account for the missing, and search and rescue operations were continuing on August 22, with workers going from home to home to search for victims or those needing assistance.
President Joe Biden expressed his 'deepest condolences for the sudden and tragic loss of life' in Tennessee, and asked the FEMA administrator to speak to Governor Lee of Tennessee right away.
