John Coffelt, Editor

Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin briefed the Coffee County Commission on Tuesday, Oct. 1 concerning the department’s efforts to aid flood victims in East Tennessee.

Partin, a collection of deputies and County Mayor Dennis Hunt recently delivered a truckload of drinking water, supplies and several surplus patrol cars to the area. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department is participating in the collection of items. 

“They have nothing,” Partin said. “We’ve seen a lot of tornadoes in our area. We’ve dealt with the Waverley flood a couple of years ago… I thought I’d seen some destruction. The destruction of this flood … tops it by a 1000 percent.”

Partin said that peoples’ businesses, farms and homes are gone and that due to the mountain terrain and washed out roads and bridges, first responders are finding it very difficult to make contact with people.

“They are still in rescue mode,” he said.

The county delivered water on Monday to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on I-81 where the truckload was then passed along to Mountain City.

“We took five surplus patrol cars, three from us and two from Franklin County, to Cocke County’s sheriff and mayor,” Partin said.

The Cocke County Sheriff Department lost several of their cars to rapidly rising flood waters.  Inmates in that county’s auxiliary jail had to evacuate to take cover on a hillside.

“We’re all going to go home tonight…but they have nothing,” Partin said. “Tennesseans are strong; the mountain people are resilient, but they are in dire need.”

Partin also believes that this catastrophe will affect that region for many years to come.

“I cannot explain how bad I-40 is going through Black Mountain Gorge,” he said. “I don’t know how they are going to fix it. What you see on the internet and on the newscast doesn’t do it justice … but it’s nothing like what you see on the inside.”   

Hunt said TEMA sent an email to county and municipal governments that urged them not to donate.

“Our sheriff said we’re not going to abide by that,” Hunt said. “He was ready to roll. Things needed to be done. He got it done.”

Hunt said the Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis personally thanked him for the donations.

Partin received a call from Unicoi County Sheriff CJ Ball who personally asked for help.

“ ‘No matter what you hear or see through the state government…we are in dire need,” Partin said, recalling the conversion. “Please, I’m begging you, come see me.’ ”

Partin replied, “Sheriff, we’re coming.”   

State reports eight dead

The Tennessee Department of Health has confirmed as of Oct. 1 eight weather-related fatalities in East Tennessee. Two fatalities occured in Cocke County, one in Knox County, one in Johnson County, three in Unicoi County and one in Washington County.

Gov. Bill Lee requested an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration (Public Assistance and Individual Assistance) on September 30, 2024, for Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington. Grainger County was also included on this expedited request but only for Public Assistance. This request, if granted, would be in addition to the federal assistance that has already been authorized by FEMA for Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington counties in the previous Emergency Declarations.

As floodwaters continue to recede, responders are beginning to have a better understanding of impacted water and wastewater infrastructure and some plants have reported problems. If you are without water, please check with your water system for more information and recommended actions.

More information about donation centers can be found on TEMA’s website. Before donating, please check with the county for a needs list. Additionally, a fund with the East Tennessee Foundation has been established for monetary donations.

TEMA continues to deploy personnel at the request of the counties and is coordinating with local officials to assess damages and ensure life safety needs are met. TEMA recommends residents continue to tune into information provided by their local officials to remain safe.

According to a TEMA statement, as of Oct. 1 there are approximately 5,000 reports of power outages statewide. Several wastewater treatment plants have been impacted or are reporting problems due to flooding impacts and 21 drinking water facilities have reported operational issues. Of those, 17 facilities have issued boil water advisories.

As of Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 2 p.m., the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has received more than 500 calls regarding missing individuals. Of those, approximately 46 are still active leads that TBI is coordinating with local law enforcement response. This number does not represent the total of unaccounted individuals, just public leads that still need to be cleared.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.