KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A strong storm brought lightning and winds to areas of East Tennessee Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
There is a Flood (Areal) Warning for Anderson and Knox Counties until 2:30 p.m.
Around 6 to 7 inches of rain is reported in the Powell and Clinton areas.
In Knox County, Grand Avenue at 23rd Street remains closed. Four residents were trapped in an apartment building and helped by the Knoxville Fire Department this morning, according to the KPD.
The Knoxville Utilities Board said that around 4,339 customers were without power as of 12:00 p.m., in areas across Knox County. Outages can be reported on KUB's website.
They said Thursday that more than 11,000 customers lost power overnight. More than 75 crews were responding, trying to clear trees and debris while restoring power. They said they expected restoration efforts to continue through Friday evening.
There are reports of fallen trees at:
- Gladstone St. & Chickamauga Ave.
- French Road
- Strawberry Plains Pike at Andrew Johnson Highway
- North Ruggles Ferry Pike (right in front of Caledonia Presbyterian Church)
- Webber Road at Elliot Road
- Graves Road
- Neubert Springs Road (could be multiple trees)
- Collier Road
The city of Knoxville said the Sequoyah Greenway Connector that links the Third Creek Greenway to the Sequoyah Greenway is temporarily closed due to flooding, saying the bridge was damaged and will need repairs.
The Knox County Rescue Squad tweeted that it responded and was canceled en route to a vehicle stuck in high after in the Powell area at West Beaver Creek Drive near Morton View Lane.
Viewer Photos: Flooding in East Tennessee (7/20-7/21)
In Anderson County, TDOT said Main Street/State Route 9 in Clinton is closed between Cullum Street and Hicks Street in both directions to thru traffic due to flooding.
Further south, TDOT is not recommending travel on SR 9/Clinton Highway between West Wolf Valley Road to Hiway Drive due to flooded road conditions.
Southbound Norris Freeway/Highway 441 at East Wolf Valley Road was closed to traffic due to debris on the roadway.
Emergency officials have conducted four vehicle rescues in high water. Some homes on Pop Hollow Road were evacuated due to rising water, according to Anderson County Mayor Assistant Leean Tupper.
The ACSO said Thursday morning there's sporadic flooding in the whole county. "Quite a few" trees are down, according to ACSO.
The City of Oak Ridge also said crews were working to restore power in areas after five trees fell and broke two poles along Scenic Drive, Timbercrest Drive, Briarwood Drive, Hickory Hollow Drive.
Anyone in the city could report an outage by calling 865-425-1803.
Drivers should not try to drive through flooded roads. The National Weather Service reported that several between Oak Ridge and Knoxville were unpassable. They also warned that flooded roads could be hard to spot at night.
Information about when the power could be restored was not immediately available. This story will be updated when more information is available.
In Fentress County, there are reports of trees down.