A child and their parents in Tennessee were killed after a tree fell on the family's car following heavy rain and flooding in the state.
Authorities said that the three victims were killed when saturated ground caused a massive tree to fall in the Chattanooga suburb of East Ridge shortly after midnight. Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management spokesperson Amy Maxwell said that a search was ongoing on Wednesday for a man who walked through a flooded area in Chattanooga on Tuesday.
Parents and Child Killed by Felled Tree
Maxwell said that the full extent of the damage left by the flooding is not yet clear, noting that county officials are planning to tour the area soon. The recent incidents prompted rescues of people who were stuck inside homes and swamped vehicles on Tuesday.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp also declared a local state of emergency on Tuesday night, and residents were urged to exercise extreme caution. A communications systems technician, Troy Plemons, said he was stuck in traffic on an interstate for two to three hours on Tuesday night when the area flooded, according to PBS.
Plemons then said that he saw the water pick up an SUV, causing him and two others to encourage the woman inside to get out. However, she threw her hands up like she did not know if she would be able to.
After that, Plemons moved to the bed of a truck that was next to him to try to get closer to the woman stuck inside her car. However, the water was quickly rising up to her chest, and he said that someone had to go in to rescue her.
Flooding in Tennessee
Catoosa County officials also reported that there have been more than 100 evacuations and dozens of rescues from two local apartment complexes because of the inclement weather. Chattanooga authorities shared a video and images of first responders rescuing a family in waist-deep water, CBS News reported.
The National Weather Service also issued a flood watch for much of middle Tennessee through Wednesday night. The agency warned the public of scattered flash flooding with tropical-like heavy rainfall and chances of training storms.
Officials reported that the flooding in the area closed parts of Interstate 24 but later reopened after the waters receded. Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett said that flooding was more extensive than what officials have seen before.
Garrett added that the flooding was "widespread," noting that it has made it difficult for them to get there themselves to try and rescue people who were in need, as per ABC News.
