The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office reported heavy rain and storms Tuesday afternoon and evening caused flash flooding in several areas, shutting down major roads, forcing rescues and prompting evacuations. Multiple roads were impassable, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“I’ve seen flooding throughout my career all over the county,” Sheriff Austin Garrett said at the county’s emergency operations center. “It’s typically concentrated in one area. This is extremely widespread. It made it difficult for us to even get here ourselves to try to help other people. So no, I’ve never seen it to this extent, this widespread in so many areas and impacting travel the way it is.”
The Chattanooga Fire Department has opened Brainerd Recreation Center for people being evacuated due to flooding, the city said in a press release.
Hamilton County schools were closed on Wednesday and the district announced a 2-hour delay for Thursday.
A portion of Interstate 24 between South Moore and McBrien roads was completely flooded. Vehicles were driving through the flooded waters. Around 10 p.m., state transportation spokesperson Rae Anne Bradley said that all eastbound I-24 lanes are open and all lanes on westbound I-24 will be reopened once disabled vehicles have been cleared.
Flooding in the Chattanooga area
The Chattanooga Fire Department had said that Interstate 24 between Belvoir Avenue and Spring Creek Road was shut down indefinitely because of flooding in both directions.
Paul Broughton, a Cleveland, Tennessee, resident, saw some of the rising water firsthand near the Taco Bell on Highway 58.
“I mean, it was just a matter of coming out of that gully right there, and then I looked and the whole road was covered. Lord have mercy,” he said. “Little rain here and a little rain there, and all of a sudden it just started coming down, and it just it was relentless.”
Chattanooga Fire Department said in a news release that its crews fanned out across the city for hours Tuesday night, rescuing motorists trapped in vehicles and assisting residents stuck in their homes.
“We have swiftwater rescue personnel on McCutcheon and Hickory Valley for people trapped in cars. CFD personnel will continue responding to calls until the water recedes,” the release stated. “There are no injuries to report at this time.
“Please stay off the roads. Don’t drive through flooded areas. It will only add to the workload when you get stuck.”
The Hamilton County Emergency Operations Center was activated for coordinated response efforts, the department said.
Amy Maxwell, public information officer with Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management, addressed reporters on Tuesday evening.
“We received some significant flash flooding that occurred this afternoon, really about between the hours of 6 and 7:30, and a lot of rain came down and actually caused severe flash flooding in the Brainerd and the East Ridge area,” she said. “And currently we have several parts of the interstate that are shut down due to significant flooding and impassable roads. We have a lot of trees down. We have a lot of power lines down. We have a lot of homes that are flooded in the East Ridge area.”
She added, “We continue to get numerous rescue efforts of people driving through flooded streets and obviously getting stuck, so we have to send swift water rescue teams in to rescue them and leave their cars stranded for right now, so we’re not seeing so much of the flash flooding receding yet. So right now we continue to do rescue operations.”
Maxwell also said, “We have not received any injury reports as of yet, so we’re hoping that we don’t, but we’re prepared for to respond and to provide emergency care as soon as possible.”
Garrett said officials want to emphasize that people should not attempt unnecessary travel.
“The biggest thing we want to stress for everyone is stay home,” he said. “And if you’re in a safe place, stay there. Don’t try to get home right now because we have so many roadways that are closed. They’re just, you can’t get through the intersections. And we can’t stress that enough. The interstate closed on I-24. They’re close to Spring Creek and McBrien area, going to be closed for an indefinite amount of time. 153 South was closed earlier. So, please stay home. Stay wherever you’re at, if that’s at work, at a friend’s house, family members, wherever you’re at right now, don’t try to make it home. Even if you live in a different area of the county on the east side, you’re probably going to be impacted by this, this travel issue.”
Councilman Dennis Clark of Cherokee Woods said at the recreation center that much of his district — including Woodmore, Dalewood and Briarwood — were underwater.
“We’ve had some unprecedented floods, and most of my district is underwater, and so we’re just trying to make sure that residents have options of where to shelter in place,” he said. “We can’t control what Mother Nature does, but this is also a testament that we need to really pay more closer attention to our aging infrastructure system.”
County Mayor Weston Wamp issued a statement Tuesday evening saying he has declared a local state of emergency, after contacting the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and others.
“We have been in communication with both TEMA and the Governor’s Office and will continue to assess damage overnight and into the morning,” Wamp’s statement said. “We ask the public to please exercise extreme caution.”
CATOOSA COUNTY
Dozens of Catoosa County residents evacuated from flooded homes, county spokesperson John Pless said in a press release.
The Fire Department responded to two apartment complexes in Fort Oglethorpe to evacuate about 80 people at The Crossings apartments on Fant Drive, where waist-deep water flooded ground-level apartments, the press release said. Rescue teams also evacuated about 35 people at the Fountain Brooks apartments on Cross Street, where homes were flooded. There were no reported injuries.
Evacuees were taken to temporary shelter at the Constitution Hall and Westside voting precincts and were to stay overnight at the Catoosa Training Center Rifle Range operated by the Tennessee Army National Guard near Ringgold.
About 20 Catoosa County roads were closed at the height of the storm, the county estimated. Crews were working into the night to clear roads of debris.
Contact breaking news reporter Mason Edwards at medwards@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6409.