For over a month we've had very dry weather here in north-east Tennessee. We didn't have rain for over a month until this week. The rain has been so hard and plentiful that we've had problems with flooding which is a rarity. I'm 31 years old and I've only seen floods a few times in my lifetime.
The River During Today's Drive
The river that runs through town was at its highest levels in over ten years. We've had really bad flooding in different parts of town. Because of flooding in residential neighborhoods all schools were closed earlier this week because roads were submerged under water.
A few of the elementary schools reported having sections of their school property flooded by the nearby river. Some of the high schools were opened up as shelters for people escaping areas effected by rising flood waters. One high school suffered damage to their gymnasium and wood shop after flood waters entered parts of the school
Today my husband and I took a drive to check the river and the water levels were down but still pretty high. The water current was much faster than normal but it looks like the flooding conditions have subsided
The Great Flood of 1998
If you visit my town the flood of 1998 is a story all the locals can tell you about. The worst flooding that has happened in my lifetime happened in 1998. I remember our school was cancelled for close to two weeks. A winter storm hit the area unexpectedly. I remember the snow kept falling and falling. The snow was knee deep in our yard. I was 13 years old and it hasn't never snowed again like it did in 98.
I remember the night the snow began. My brother and I sat at the window and we watched as the power lines snapped one by one shooting sparks into the sky. Even though it was night the snow and the sky seemed to be lit up in the moonlight. We had never seen snow like that before. We live in an area where school rarely closes due to snow because we hardly get more than a few inches. School was canceled for a week because the snow was so bad.
During The Flood of 1998 The Water Reached the Covered Bridge and Came Over the Banks
We were left without power for over a week. I remember our entire family huddled around our fireplace in the dark with candles all around the room. It was so cold in the rest of the house that we had to block off the living room and cover the doors. We took in a few neighbors who had no heat. As soon as they plowed the streets we had to leave home and stay at a relatives house until power was restored.
The amount of snow in the higher elevations is what caused the flooding. Temperatures rose very quickly and then we had a rainstorm. The ice in the mountains melted quickly causing the rivers to overflow. It all happened fast. I remember the news reporting a risk of flooding but no one believed our area would flood. At that time no one could remember our area flooding.
It was the middle of the night and I remember being woken up by my brothers because we had to evacuate. As we pulled out of the driveway I remember seeing the river near our house halfway up our street covering many of my neighbors yards. The memory of seeing that flood water traumatized me for years and I had nightmares for a long time after the flood was over.
The Flood Water Moved Boulders and Changed the Land
In this picture you can see rocks under the bridge. Before the flood there were no rocks. The water moved freely but after the flood rocks got stuck in the area under the bridge. Further down from this bridge you'll find boulders and large as office desks. These boulders weren't there before and were moved by the flood waters.
We stayed at my uncles house until morning and then returned home. My house had a fully furnished basement where my mom and I had our bedrooms. The flood water had flooded the basement and was knee deep. Furniture, clothes, irreplaceable family pictures, our beds, and countless other things were ruined. I missed a second week of school. It took over a month before we could get the damage cleaned up and repaired. It took longer to be able to afford replacement furniture and my mom and I could move back into our rooms.
Seven people ended up dying in the flood. Over 400 homes were damaged or destroyed. Many of the kids I went to school with were also impacted by the flood. Some lost homes or at least had damage from the flood. We had counselors made available to talk about our experiences. Since we were young and had never experienced natural disasters before it was hard for those of us who were young to process what had happened. Two of the people who died were children and schoolmates of ours. When you are young you think you are invincible and to see a classmate die so tragically is a sad and horrible event to experience.
Look There's Me In Black
You can see the river in this section isn't that deep. Imagine the water flowing over the rock wall in the background and that was what happened during the 1998 flood.
The flood that happened this week wasn't that bad. No one was hurt or died. The damage wasn't too bad and only minimal places were affected. Anytime there is flooding or a risk of flooding everyone always talks about the flood of 1998. It was a scary time in local history and no one will forget the amazing snowfall we had and the terrible flood that came after.
