Central US Faces Deadly Storms and Potentially Historic Flooding

Communities in the central United States are reeling from devastating storms, with numerous tornadoes striking the area this week. Now, forecasters are sounding the alarm for another serious threat: continuous rainfall throughout the weekend, which could lead to unprecedented flooding.

This flood warning follows the tragic loss of seven lives across Tennessee, Missouri, and Indiana as the violent weather pattern swept through starting Wednesday.

The Mississippi Valley, which includes areas of Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi, is on high alert for an extreme flooding event spanning three days—an event so unusual it rarely occurs outside the hurricane season.

In Selmer, Tennessee—a heavily impacted town around 90 miles east of Memphis—at least three fatalities have been confirmed due to the tornadoes. As the storm closed in, residents in a newly constructed apartment complex hurried to find safety.

“Most people took cover in the laundry rooms within their apartments,” said resident Justin West, who noted his unit survived despite extensive damage to the front of the building.

West described the aftermath as he witnessed cars in ruins, heaps of debris, and parts of the roofing missing from the newly completed complex.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee advised residents to remain vigilant, reiterating, “Don’t lower your guard.”

“The damage is significant, multiple tornadoes have hit, lives have been lost, and devastation is rampant throughout the state, yet this storm is not over,” Lee remarked on Thursday.

According to Patrick Sheehan, the director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, there were at least five reported fatalities in Tennessee, and over 4,000 customers were left without power early Friday, as reported by PowerOutage.us.

On Thursday, Nashville’s tornado sirens blared so repeatedly that their batteries depleted, rendering them inoperable until power was reinstated. City emergency officials urged residents to have various methods for receiving weather alerts, such as local news, weather apps, and weather radios.

In Pilot Grove, Missouri, a tornado ripped through the small city, casting debris far and wide. Justin Gerke was among those impacted, rushing home after receiving a warning.

“I got a tornado warning on my phone and immediately headed home from work,” Gerke shared with KOMU. Upon reaching home, he found his childhood home’s roof gone, the garage destroyed, and several cars wrecked.

The storm also wreaked havoc in Nevada, Missouri, with notable damage at Nevada Oaks, a converted motel currently used as housing for students at the Missouri Welding Institute, a trade school focusing on welding and metal fabrication. The family-owned site, accommodating around 50 students, sustained major damage, according to CNN affiliate KSHB.

“This place means everything to us,” said Shari Snyder, who runs Nevada Oaks, telling KSHB, “My father invested so much into this place, and the students loved living here.” Although no students were harmed, the tornado left shattered windows and several wrecked cars in its path.

Ongoing Flood Risk as the System Lingers

As cleanup gets underway, the same weather system is predicted to bring “life-threatening flash flooding” and severe conditions through Sunday across the Ohio Valley, the Mid-South, and the Mississippi Valley. Major impacts are expected in areas including Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, warned the National Weather Service.

Preparation efforts are being strengthened across the Midwest and Southern regions. School closures in several districts of Tennessee and Kentucky, such as Allen County Schools and Davidson Academy, were announced for Friday.

Missouri’s Army Corps of Engineers reported filling approximately 1,500 sandbags to reinforce a levee near Poplar Bluff, anticipating the Black River to rise to a “major flooding” level over the weekend. An urban search-and-rescue team has also been dispatched to support relief efforts.

The storms may also cause delays in shipping since Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis, Tennessee, are major cargo hubs directly in their path.

From Arkansas to Kentucky, rainfall could reach historic levels, causing once-in-a-generation flooding. Conditions are expected to deteriorate markedly through Saturday, with forecasters predicting rainfall of such magnitude that terms like 1-in-25-year, 1-in-100-year, and even 1-in-1000-year are being used to describe their rarity.

A recent study highlights climate change as a driver of extreme weather events, noting increased hourly rainfall rates in nearly 90% of major US cities since 1970.

In anticipation of severe conditions, federal and local agencies have organized water rescue teams and amassed emergency supplies such as food and water.

In Nashville, more than a dozen water rescues were conducted on Thursday as relentless rain pounded the city. Near Trevecca Nazarene University, first responders saved a driver from a car partially submerged, assisting him through a window onto a rescue raft.

In Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency for the western part of the state, forecasting record rainfall in unfamiliar flood zones. At least 25 state highways, mainly in the western region, were overwhelmed by floodwaters, according to the governor’s office. This follows other recent flooding in Kentucky, including a fatal winter storm earlier this year and a major flash-flood event in 2021.