The devasting flood started on Saturday, 21st August 2021 submerging entire roads and taking out telephone and power lines.
Chris Davis, the sheriff of Humphreys County, confirmed 22 deaths in his county and said many of the missing lived in the neighborhoods where the water rose the fastest. Davis himself lost a friend to the floods.
“They just went and got one of my best friends and recovered him. He drowned in this.” He continued, “It’s tough, but we’re going to move forward.”
Al Jazeera reports that dozens of people were reported missing on Sunday after the record-breaking rain sent floodwaters surging through rural areas in Middle Tennessee.
Rescue crews are searching for more than 50 people in rural Humphreys County, which is west of Nashville.
Emergency workers are searching door-to-door in the worst-hit areas, with rescuers also combing through the debris of homes that were washed away.
The names of the missing have been listed on a notice board at an emergency center in Humphreys County, with relatives left fearing the worst.
On the county’s Facebook page, people have been desperately seeking any information that could help locate their missing friends and relatives.
One woman wrote, “My niece was swept away, her family is still looking for her. They were told she was found but it wasn’t her.”
“I and my family are looking for our 6-year-old cousin,” another person wrote. “Any information is appreciated.”
Tennessee Governor, Bill Lee who toured the area, called it a “devastating picture of loss and heartache.”
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