Tennessee Flooding Impacts the Water Sector

Over the weekend, record-breaking rainfall caused severe flooding in parts of central Tennessee. The four counties most impacted include: Dickson, Hickman, Houston, and Humphreys. At least 22 fatalities have been confirmed, with dozens still missing. Recovery efforts are still ongoing at this time. Humphreys County, one of the most impacted areas, received more than 17 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. Water utilities experienced significant disruption due to the surging floodwaters. In Humphreys County, two water treatment plants were partially damaged and taken offline, according to FEMA. The city of Waverly’s water treatment facility is still not operational, with services being run through the Duck River Surface Water Plant. Three Rivers Hospital, in Waverly, is still unable to access water services. A water boil notice for the City of Waverly remains in effect. Read more at the Associated Press and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and in the FEMA Daily Operations Briefing posted below. 

These and other events recents demonstrate the need for utilities to assess their current risk to extreme weather and to take appropriate steps to improve their operational resilience. In the Tools section of its portal, WaterISAC has posted numerous resources to assist with these efforts, including EPA’s Community-Based Water Resiliency tool and FEMA’s National Risk Index for Natural Hazards.