Hardin County resident speaks on flooding

HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — After heavy amounts of rainfall during the week, parts of West Tennessee are flooded.

According to a Facebook post by the Tennessee Valley Authority, large amounts of water from dams are being released from all dams on the Tennessee River, causing high flows but maintaining levels below flood stage, except in Savannah.

Releases from tributary dams have been temporarily stopped to store and to reduce downstream flooding. Water levels at most of the reservoirs are likely to rise above normal winter pool levels.

The Tennessee Valley Authority posted they are working to manage the increased flows to minimize flooding impacts in Savannah and West Tennessee as much as possible.

“My biggest concern that it does to the community,” said Hardin County resident, Peggy Howell, “[is that] people are still recuperating from 2019 trying to rebuild. It cost us money, time and effort, and it’s very stressful. I appreciate everything the TVA has done and is going to do to try to help protect us, and I would love it if the TVA would just keep Savannah, Tennessee, in their mind.”

Howell says she believes this affects the community.

“With the flooding coming in, we are going to end up with potholes. We have a lot of debris that ends up in our river when people try to move out of this location. We try our best to take everything that we can possibly pick and move from the flooding,” Howell said.

Howell says the clean-up and hard work going in after the flood gets discouraging.

“It gets tiring; people put their property up for sale,” Howell said. “I would just like it for TVA to do something to manage it a little bit better than what they already do. Please don’t misunderstand me, I appreciate everything TVA is doing, but it just gets tiring for Hardin County having to rebuild.”

Officials are warning drivers that if you come across a flooded road, turn around and don’t drown.