Some Areas Improving After Flooding in West Tennessee, Others Getting Worse

Since my last piece on the storm damage in West Tennessee, the situation in Gibson and Madison Counties has improved some. The cloudless, sunny days have helped evaporate the flood-waters; the hard work of cleanup, repair and rescue crews has restored some normality to these places. In Medina and Three Point, for example, the water boil notice has been lifted. Still, there is plenty to do.

In Gibson, many homes and businesses have been damaged by the flood and now-confirmed F-2 tornado that hit the county after the initial flooding. Trenton, another town in the county, continues to have water issues. Bottles of water were handed out at their city hall yesterday. The Department of Transportation determined there are several roads in need of repair including places where the earth beneath the road has eroded entirely on Hwy 152. A man also remains missing after being swept away by sudden flood waters. (Gibson County Storm Damage)

Now on to Madison, the county that houses the city of Jackson. An initial calculation for repair in Jackson is at $21 million and continues to climb. As of yesterday, there are still 69 roads with known problems. Sinkholes still pose a threat in the area; safe-looking roads could collapse without warning under the weight of a vehicle. Only about 5% of the homes affected were covered by flood insurance. Jackson is still awaiting a decision as to whether or not the county will receive FEMA aid. (Storm Damage Assessment)

While the water is drying up in Gibson and Madison, Dyer County's situation continues to worsen. On Monday after I submitted my last content, the Forked Deer River reached its limit due to the rain runoff from the floods throughout the area. It overflowed, leading to a levee break and the severe flooding of south Dyersburg. Watch the WBBJ news coverage of the incident here. Dyer County has already been determined a national disaster and will receive FEMA assistance.

The numbers as of last night are as follows:

13 tornadoes hit the region in the midst of the flooding.

20 people have been killed by the storms.

6 Tennessee counties are now declared national disaster areas.

52 counties are still up for federal consideration and in need of FEMA aid.

Additional Sources:

The National Weather Service: Total of 13 Tornadoes So Far From the May 1-2 Outbreak

WBBJ: Trenton Water Issues, Disaster Aid for Dyer County