10 people still missing in Unicoi County
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10 people still missing in Unicoi County

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Hurricane Helene’s remnants devastated parts of East Tennessee with dangerous floods and winds that knocked down power lines and trees.

The threat is not over, especially in the Great Smoky Mountains and along the Nolichucky River, where the threat of flooding remains, even in areas that might not have seen any yet.

Here’s the latest on weather warnings and cleanup after what’s happened over the past several days.

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With the help of countless resources from across county and state lines, first responders in Unicoi County have been able to find a majority of the 33 people who were unaccounted for the afternoon of Sept. 28, Erwin Police Chief Regan Tilson told Knox News.

“We are very much still in search-and-rescue mode as opposed to recovery, but time is of the essence,” he said.

There have been no confirmed deaths, Tilson said.

Tilson expects to have more resources available Sept. 29 to search for the remaining 10 people. Help will come in the form of additional first responders, as well as the family and friends of missing people who have been searching on their own.

Tilson plans to coordinate with those loved ones so that search efforts are not duplicated.

“More hands are better, and more boots are better,” he told Knox News. “And if it was my family, I would be searching, and you couldn’t tell me no.”

An update on conditions is expected around 10 am Sept. 29.

East Knox County could see flooding along the French Broad River as a result of the release of an increased amount of water from Douglas Dam, the Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency warned.

Residents in areas along that river should be prepared for potential flooding and possible evacuation, the agency said in a news release around 3 pm Sept. 28.

The French Broad is projected to rise 2 to 2.5 feet because of the discharge of water at the dam, the release stated. The release of swell water to maintain integrity of Douglas Dam could continue for two to three days.

If evacuation is recommended, emergency response agencies and KEMA will notify the affected communities as quickly as possible, the release said.

Just after 2 pm Sept. 28, the town of Greeneville shared to social media that people should not go to the Greeneville Municipal Airport for water distribution.

“That information is incorrect,” the post read. “Water will be available eventually through the National Guard. RIGHT NOW the focus is rescuing people and taking care of immediate needs. Distributing water will come later when the manpower and supplies are ready.”

Truck driver Bill Halterman said his wife is seven months pregnant and on the other side of a bridge that’s being blocked off by law enforcement. Halterman, who served in the National Guard, said his frustrations are swelling.

“How many days can they go without water?” he said. “The Guard should have been here last night.”

Some residents in the flood’s path have traveled away from the carnage to churches set up as shelters, including Asbury United Methodist at 201 S. Main St. in Greenville. Manley Baptist Church in Morristown, also located 3603 W. Andrew Johnson Highway, also is serving as a shelter.

The evening of Sept. 27, Bristol Motor Speedway opened its Medallion Campground to Hurricane Helene evacuees free-of-charge.

Flood warnings are changing very, very quickly

AND flood warning is in place until 7:15 pm for:

  • French Broad River near Newport, affecting Jefferson and Cocke counties
  • Nolichucky River at Embreeville affecting Greene, Unicoi and Washington counties

AND separate flood warning is in place until 8 pm because of an upwater dam release:

AND elevator advisory was extended until 5 pm. for:

  • Blount County
  • Cocke County
  • Great Smoky Mountains
  • East Polk County
  • Johnson County
  • Sevier County
  • Southeast Carter County
  • Southeast Greene County
  • Southeast Monroe County
  • Unicoi County

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has a hotline for reports of missing people: 800-TBI-FIND.

“Callers should be prepared to relay as much identifying information as possible, including names, phone numbers, vehicle identification, and last known whereabouts,” the TBI said in a news release.

TBI will coordinate with local police on any reports sent in.

Do not call about property, the TBI said.

A confluence of weather patterns over the eastern US set up the historic flooding that forced people from their homes in the dead of night Friday along the Nolichucky River in Tennessee, as officials warned of dam failures and raging torrents ravaged communities.

In several forecast discussions earlier in the week, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologists described a band of moisture ahead of Helene. This is called a predecessor events and they’ve been documented in the past to cause heavy rains ahead of the arrival of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Along the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina on Wednesday and Thursday, almost 10 inches of rain fell in Asheville and 8 inches in Tryon, according to preliminary weather service data. Another six inches fell over the two days in Bristol-Johnson, Tennessee and more than four inches in Knoxville.

Then Helene’s massive circulation moved into the mix with more rain, and then transitioned into a post tropical cyclone. Recent studies have shown some hurricanes are soaking up more moisture from the warming Gulf of Mexico, further enhancing rainfall totals.

President Joe Biden approved emergency disaster relief aid for Tennessee Saturday morning.

The president’s decision activates the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and gives federal funding for “emergency protective measures,” according to a FEMA press release.

The assistance is specifically for Carter, Johnson and Unicoi counties. Flash floods and mudslides caused emergency evacuations, especially along river banks.

Gov. Bill Lee declared an emergency and requested the funds.

Knoxville road closures remain Saturday

These roads are still closed because of downed trees or power lines:

  • Dutch Valley Drive at Holland Road
  • Woodlawn Pike at Ellis Street

Nolichucky Dam reported to be ‘stable and secure’

The National Weather Service in Morristown has extended a flood warning until 5:05 am Sept. 29 for the French Broad River in Jefferson and Cocke counties and the Nolichucky River in Unicoi, Washington and Greene counties.

The Tennessee Valley Authority overnight issued a warning of a dam breach as a precaution, saying the lack of visibility and rising water made it hard to assess the situation at that point.

By 4 pm Sept. 28, TVA reported that Nolichucky Dam had been found to be “stable and secure” as water levels continued to drop. “We are notifying local emergency management agencies that we are transitioning to an advanced monitoring mode of the dam and exiting the emergency condition,” TVA said is a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Earlier in the day, TVA said in a news release that water levels at the same were receding at about a foot an hour.

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