People displaced by the historic flooding Chattanooga saw this week can spend another night at the Brainerd Community Center, as officials said it will remain open.
The South Chattanoogan and Hixson Community Centers were on standby as of noon Wednesday, according to Mayor Tim Kelly’s announcement posted to his social media.
At least 22 people had signed in to the shelter by Wednesday morning, according to visible names on American Red Cross shelter sheets on the front desk. The site opened late Tuesday evening after storms turned the interstate into a creek and swamped homes across Hamilton and Catoosa counties in what local officials described as some of the most widespread flooding they had ever seen.
Kevin Lipski, community disaster program manager for the American Red Cross, said the shelter was launched in partnership with the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County to give displaced residents a safe place to plan their next steps.
(READ MORE: Two adults, one child die in East Ridge after tree collapsed on car during storm)
Lipski said he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to share the exact count of the number of people within the shelter. A Chattanooga Fire Department official who did not want to be quoted said there were three people still there as of around 9 a.m., as many returned home when the floodwaters receded in the early morning hours.
“The importance is to be able to give our neighbors a chance to get their feet under them and take a deep breath and just go, ‘Okay. This happened, and now let’s figure out what’s, what’s gonna happen next,'” Lipski said.
Lipski, who has been with the Red Cross for about three months, said he hasn’t seen flooding this severe since he moved to Chattanooga in 2021. The organization got the call from local officials around 8 p.m. Tuesday, he said, and the shelter was staffed and ready to receive people within two hours.
He said he didn’t have information on individual losses, but residents came for a variety of reasons, all related to being unable to stay in their homes.
With more rain predicted to be on the way, Lipski said the shelter will remain open as long as needed. He wasn’t aware Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp had declared a local state of emergency, as he said he’s been focused on helping people all night.
“We’re going to show up when somebody needs help, and we’re going to help,” Lipski said. “It’s until such time that we’re able to get our neighbors back to their homes or back to a safe place to stay.”
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Lipski told two displaced parties that the American Red Cross sometimes provides a certain amount of financial assistance for flooding in certain conditions, he said.
“Every disaster is different, and so are the needs of each affected communities and families, so disaster financial aid does vary on a case-by-case basis,” the Regional Communications Director for the American Red Cross, Jerrica Williams, said by phone. “Because no two disasters are alike, we work with local partners in affected communities to identify their needs and help create their plan to support them.”
Contact breaking news reporter Mason Edwards at medwards@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6409.
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