GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. — Governor Bill Lee spoke Tuesday about recovery efforts across upper East Tennessee after historic flooding put some communities underwater and swept away roads.
He spoke near a destroyed bridge along I-26, where he said workers were trying to repair the road. He said around 25 roads have reopened since the historic flooding swept through the area. He also said there was still work to do since the storms effectively destroyed bridges and swept away some parts of the road.
Butch Eley, a commissioner with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, said around 1.2 million gallons moved through the spot where the group stood. He also said 300 bridges were inspected and the department was working to reopen them. He said a total of five bridges were swept away in the flooding.
Lee said contractors were fixing the I-26 bridge, crossing over the Nolichucky River. He requested a disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after an emergency declaration was approved. He expects the new disaster declaration to be approved shortly, allowing additional FEMA funds to flow.
Turnaround from the federal government has been "rapid," Lee said — quickly helping communities start work to repair areas. He said Tennessee would likely match 25% of the funds provided by the federal government.
He also said while crews work to prepare infrastructure, they are also continuing to search for missing people. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Monday night that more than 100 people were missing across the state. A list of the people missing from different counties is available below.
- Carter County: 60
- Johnson County: 2
- Unicoi County: 10
- Washington County: 30
It also confirmed six weather-related fatalities.
Lee said around 200 soldiers were sent to the region from the Tennessee National Guard, helping facilitate relief efforts. Some of those servicemembers helped rescue people from the roof of a Unicoi County hospital on Friday, as floodwaters surged.
He also spoke briefly about an incident at Impact Plastics, where several workers were either killed by the water or were reported missing. Some employees remained at the company as flooding began "for unknown reasons," the company said.
"I think it’s tragic. There are still missing persons from all up and down this river. There’s a lot unknown about what unfolded on that day," Lee said. "I can’t speak to particulars. It’s tragic, and we will know more as days unfold.”
TEMA said it was bringing more Spanish-speaking interpreters to help make sure its workers could communicate with the "larger than expected" Spanish-speaking community in Unicoi County.
"We’re seeing tragedy here. We’re seeing it unfold. The faces of families, tears in their faces. It’s hard for any of us to see. Lack of ability to communicate with families due to language barrier has complicated that," Lee said.
Republican lawmakers Diana Harshbarger and Marsha Blackburn also spoke on Tuesday and said that 10 Starlink systems were set up. They also spoke about ongoing water concerns in the Newport area nad across Greene County. Blackburn said her team set up a website where people could find ways to help.
