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Tennessee woman sues TVA for parents’ deaths in Helene floods

Flood debris from Hurricane Helene is seen on the banks of the Nolichucky River, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Erwin, Tenn. A woman downstream of a TVA dam on the river sued the utility Sept. 25, 2025, for the wrongful death of her parents. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Flood debris from Hurricane Helene is seen on the banks of the Nolichucky River, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Erwin, Tenn. A woman downstream of a TVA dam on the river sued the utility Sept. 25, 2025, for the wrongful death of her parents. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

By Daniel Dassow September 27, 2025 4 min read

A Tennessee woman who watched her parents get swept by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene one year ago is suing the Tennessee Valley Authority in a wrongful death lawsuit filed Thursday.

Maureen Obrist alleges her parents would still be alive if the federal utility had given more warning to residents downstream of Nolichucky Dam near Greeneville, which it owns and operates. Obrist and her parents, Michael and Jean Obrist, were trying to evacuate their Cocke County home in the early morning hours of Sept. 28, 2024, when floodwaters overtook their vehicle.

While the plaintiff was able to cling to the family’s porch, her parents were trapped in a vehicle and found dead the following morning, the lawsuit said. Michael Obrist was 82 and Jean Obrist was 80 when they died. They were among 18 people who died in Tennessee as a result of the historic flood.