Officials rescue family from flood waters in Selmer

SELMER, Tenn. — It was a scary morning for one West Tennessee family.

“I don’t wish this upon nobody to go through because now I know what it feels like,” Mary Young said.

Mary, her mom, and her three-month-old grandson were woken up by a knock at the window Wednesday morning.

“It’s been pretty hard,” Young said. “It’s scary for one thing. I thank the Lord because God was in the mix, he woke us up.”

She said she looked outside and quickly realized she wouldn’t be able to move her car or even open the door, because of flood waters.

“So I called 911 to come get us out of the hotel room.”

Young says her mom uses oxygen tanks and her grandson is on medications, all of which she thinks is now ruined.

Mary isn’t the only one that had to be rescued Wednesday morning. Officials say about 20 families and seven employees who work the night shift had to be rescued due to the flooding in Selmer.

Young says she’s moving into a new house and everything she had was in that hotel room.

“You look out there and your life is flashing right in front of you because you don’t know if you’re going to get out of there safe or what. You could just drown in there, you don’t ever know.”

Young said she was on the phone all morning trying to figure out how to get things replaced and what her next steps will be.

City officials say they’ve been in contact with the Red Cross and are trying to figure out the best way to house everyone who had to be evacuated, while also practicing COVID-19 guidelines.