UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. — UPDATE (9/30 8:20 p.m.): The Tennessee Department of Military released a seventh flash report after historic flooding swept through parts of East Tennessee.
In the report, the Tennessee Department of Health confirmed 6 'weather-related' deaths in East Tennessee. According to the DOH, one death was in Knox County, one in Johnson County, Three in Unicoi County and one in Washington County.
Mayor Rob Mathis also confirmed two weather-related deaths in Cocke County. This brings the total confirmed deaths to eight as of Monday evening
According to the report, as of Monday, there are 9,600 reports of power outages statewide with the Tenessee Valley Authority continuing to monitor water levels.
"As of 1:00 p.m. CDT on Sept. 30, 20 drinking water facilities have reported operational issues and five counties have issued boil water advisories," the report said.
The counties currently under the Boil Water Advisory include:
- Carter County
- Cocke County
- Greene County
- Johnson County
- Unicoi County
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said as of Monday evening, the bureau has received more than 500 calls regarding missing people. Of those 500, TBI said 100 are still active leads.
That number includes 60 people from Carter County, two from Johnson County, 10 from Unicoi County and 30 from Washington County.
UPDATE (9/30 11:55 a.m.): At least four people are dead after catastrophic flooding from Helene struck East Tennessee on Friday.
Cocke County Sheriff CJ Ball confirmed the identification of two people who died due to flooding in Cocke County.
Jean and Mike Obrist were killed in what Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis described as a "100-year event."
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reported two other deaths in Johnson County and Unicoi County.
"I know that we are going to have other fatalities associated with this disaster," TEMA Director Patrick Sheehan said.
More than 100 people are still missing in East Tennessee, according to TEMA.
TEMA gave an update Monday afternoon and said the greatest concern was drinking water. Two water intake systems in Greene County and Newport were destroyed by the flooding, and a total of 13 public water systems reported problems.
Crews on the ground were moving as much bottled water as they could into impacted communities. In Carter County, the National Guard airlifted food and water to people who were still stranded. Five bridges were destroyed by the flooding, which occurred primarily along the Pigeon, French Broad and Nolichucky rivers.
TEMA is asking for people not to drive to flood-impacted areas unless they are working with certified relief organizations. They said people wanting to help should check with local organizations first to determine what the greatest needs are and to drop donations off at designated sites. Sheehan said donating money will always be the best way people can help in the short and long term.
TEMA said state agencies, the Tennessee National Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA and others are on the ground currently providing support.
“Flood recovery of this sort is a long, hard process," Sheehan said. "We know there is a long road ahead.”
Sheehan said one of the biggest challenges has been communication. The counties that were impacted largely had communication system gaps before the flooding. A lot of infrastructure was damaged in the floods, and he said it won't be an easy process to restore those. In the meantime, crews are using radios and satellite phones.
When the initial recovery is complete, which could take weeks or longer, Sheehan said these communities will need volunteers to step up and help with cleanup and rebuilding.
"Once the news cameras go away, these communities will still need help," he said.
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Sunday Update:
The Tennessee Department of Military released a flash report after widespread flooding from Hurricane Helene swept through East Tennessee. The report highlighted many impacts from the storm, including two confirmed weather-related deaths in Tennessee, according to the Department of Health.
The DOH confirmed one death was in Unicoi County and another was in Johnson County.
Rob Mathis, Mayor of Cocke County, said there have been two confirmed deaths within the county. However, he said all other missing people were accounted for.
"We have no more missing persons," Mathis said. "We have no more missing persons in Cocke County."
The DOM thanked the local communities for their volunteer spirit during the flooding but asked people not to send donations that have not been requested by state or local authorities.
"TEMA continues to deploy personnel at the request of the counties and is coordinating with local officials to assess damages and ensure life safety needs are met," the report said. "TEMA recommends residents continue to tune into information provided by their local officials to remain safe."
According to the report, there are around 18,800 reports of power outages statewide, and several wastewater treatment plants have been impacted or are reporting problems due to flooding impacts.
"As of 1:00 p.m. CDT on Sept. 29, six counties have reported water utilities with operational issues and four counties have issued Boil Water Advisories," the report said.
The counties with a current Boil Water Advisory include:
- Carter County
- Cocke County
- Johnson County
- Unicoi County
The report also said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has set up a hotline to coordinate reports of missing persons in the affected areas. Those wishing to report a missing person can contact TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
TBI said as of Sunday afternoon, it had received 337 calls seeking information on missing people. This includes 47 from Unicoi County. However, Unicoi County authorities have reported 73 unaccounted-for or missing people.
"Authorities continue their efforts to locate the following number of people," TBI said. "With limited cell service and infrastructure challenges in the impacted areas, authorities believe many of these individuals are safe, but unable to presently identify themselves as such."