Hardin County Experiencing River Flooding
HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. – Unusual heavy rain in East Tennessee earlier this week is causing some major flooding problems for those who live along the Tennessee River in Hardin County. Residents are having to turn around because they are worried it is too dangerous to drive through some areas. “The water’s too deep,” said resident Paul Michael. “I’d be kind’ve worried about walking through there.” Other streets are already blocked, and residents are concerned their homes and property are under water, and it continues to rise. “The farms are already planted out there, and that’s going to hurt the land, the crops, because it’s flooded out like this,” Michael said. Residents said this is unusual for this time of year. The Tennessee Valley Authority said this all stems from the record levels of rain the eastern part of the state has seen this year. “And what happened is, because of the high rain, we’re having to move that water down the river and right now it’s in the Pickwick area and we’re seeing high water levels everywhere,” said TVA spokesman Chris Stanley. TVA officials said the last time they had to help control flooding like this was more than 20 years ago. “This does not happen often this late in the year,” Stanley said. “Sometimes it does happen in the spring, and most folks that have land around that area are aware of that, but it usually does not happen this late in the year.” TVA officials said residents should see the river begin to level off soon. The river is supposed to crest, then start falling Saturday afternoon.
