Washington County, TN leaders provide update as receding waters reveal damage

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Washington County emergency officials are starting to understand the scope of flood damage as waters continued to recede Sunday.

In a briefing at noon on Sunday, a group of public officials provided an update on search and rescue efforts.

Washington County Emergency Management Agency Director Evan Clyburn confirmed there are missing people in the county, but could not confirm further details.

“We have compiled a list that we’ve been working with of people that are missing,” Clyburn said. “I’ll neither confirm or deny what their status is. It’s simply we’ve had a lot of displaced people.”

That compilation is happening in conjunction with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).

Shortly before 5:30 p.m. Sunday, TEMA and TBI reported a total of 62 people were missing. The agencies stated in a report that many of those people are believed to be safe but are without cell service and unable to make contact with others.

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According to Washington County Sheriff Keith Sexton, volunteers are working to account for people by taking count of those getting food, water and supplies at various shelters at county schools.

Washington County/Johnson City EMS Chief Dan Wheeley said search and rescue operations continued along the river with 16 search and rescue teams deployed.

Wheeley said crews are still working to reach all of the impacted areas.

“We know we still have people that are cut off, and we’re actively working to get into those areas,” Wheeley said. “One of our focuses today is to reach back out to those areas we know are cut off and assess the need for evacuation and facilitate that today.”

As access to the impacted areas continues to be a problem with washed out roads and bridges, Sexton said multiple bridges are still open to get across to the other side of the river.

Despite that, Sexton and several other emergency leaders called on non-residents and non-emergency personnel to stay out of the impacted areas because it clogs the roads for emergency workers.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced around 6:30 p.m. Sunday that the Jackson Bridge and Snapp Bridge were both open. Two lanes were open on each bridge. The sheriff’s office also advised everyone against driving to the Highway 107 area to look around as doing so impedes recovery and clean-up operations.

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Clyburn said a coordinated effort continues to get people access to basic needs. Shelters are open at South Central and Lamar Elementary Schools, David Crockett High School and University Baptist Church in Johnson City.

Grandview Elementary is also serving as a water distribution site.

Washington County Schools will be closed Monday through Friday as disaster response continues.

Sexton called on the public to continue its support of the shelters.

“The support has been excellent,” Sexton said. “But it needs to continue. We still need people to bring stuff to Lamar School, especially South Central. Any water, food, clothing. It’s all in need.”

Down in the small mountain community of Embreville, residents are picking up the pieces after the flooding ripped apart home after home.

“Explosions everywhere is what it sounded like,” said one resident. “It was just trees and telephone poles and houses busting and breaking.”

The sights and sounds of Friday are still fresh on the minds of those in Embreville.

Several in the town said they had to rescue themselves after the waters proved too dangerous for search and rescue teams to access.

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Gerald Williams said he was involved in a rescue mission when crews couldn’t make it over.

“Nobody could get to us,” Williams said. “We got an aluminum boat and all of us boys pitched in, and we got two people out of one home. They were elderly. We got two people out of another home.”

As the community helps each other in the early stages of recovery, there is concern for the future of Washington County’s mountain communities.

“We can build a house,” one resident said. “I don’t know how to build ground. There ain’t no ground to build a house on up there.”

As the receding water leaves behind a trail of destruction, Williams said its the people that will keep the community together.

“I guess you just call us a bunch of hillbillies, but we always lean on each other,” Williams said. “This is a bunch of survivors.”

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