Flooding strikes East Tennessee, closing roads aross the area

People in Sevier County shared videos of the Little Pigeon River looking not-so-little. It had swollen by several feet after Tuesday's heavy rain. In Sevier County, several roads had to be shut down because of flooding and fallen power lines. That included Butler Branch Road at East Parkway and River Divide Road. Sevier County said Maples Branch Road was impassible between Laura Lane and Richarson Cove. you can find a list of Sevier County road closures at this link.

Sevier County said some parts of the county saw up to 4 inches of rain over 24 hours. Emergency crews said they had to perform a shallow water rescue after someone's car was caught in flood waters off Snapp Road. Sevier County said no one was hurt in the rescue.

“Thank you to the quick action of first responders across the county,” Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said.

In Pigeon Forge, the Little Pigeon River swelled Tuesday, leaving some minor flooding in the area.

Virginia Sutton shared this video taken from the slightly flooded rear parking lot of Christmas Place, showing the river looking not-so-little. Elsewhere in Sevier County, Gatlinburg opened an emergency shelter later Tuesday morning in case people needed a place to wait out the heavy rain and flooding. It later closed the shelter around 4 p.m. after the heaviest rain passed, saying no one used the shelter.

“The City is thankful that no damage or injuries occurred during this flooding event,” Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle said. “The City is also grateful for the many different Departments and City employees which worked together to help mitigate any threat from the rising waters.”

Gatlinburg said several roads remained closed as of Tuesday afternoon, including Topside Road, Hemlock Street, the 400 block of Baskings Creek Road, and Lower Alpine Road.

Gary Snow Webb shared a video from Gatlinburg of river levels being several feet higher than normal. The West Prong of the Little Pigeon River rose up to the bridges near Margaritaville Resort.

The heaviest rains passed Tuesday afternoon, making way for breezy conditions across the area. A Wind Advisory has been issued for the areas shaded in tan where winds could gust up to 50-55 mph in parts of the Valley and on the Plateau through Wednesday, where a few downed trees and isolated power outages are possible.

Breezy conditions will last through the evening and gusty winds may linger in the Valley into Wednesday, so secure loose objects on your property!

Knoxville Utilities Board reported roughly 4,000 outages scattered across Knox County on Tuesday evening.

The high winds also led to several schools releasing early out of caution.

Amid thunderstorms and heavy rainfall Monday evening, Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella declared a state of emergency due to extensive flooding in the city.

Mazzarella announced the state of emergency on Facebook at 6:30 p.m. Around 7:45 p.m., Leominster Public Schools Superintendent Paula Deacon announced that city schools would be closed Tuesday because of the flooding.

Just before 9:40 p.m., Mazzarella posted on Facebook that Francis Drake Elementary School at 95 Viscoloid Ave. had opened as an emergency shelter.

“If you don’t have to go out, don’t,” Mazzarella said on Facebook live. “All the streets are flooded.”

The National Weather Service reported just before 10 p.m. Monday that six to nine inches of rain had fallen in northern Worcester County. A flash flood warning is in effect in Leominster, and nearby communities Fitchburg and Lunenburg, until 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The service warned people in the area to move to high ground and not to enter flooded roads.

“This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order,” it wrote in the flood warning.

Mazzarella said schools and basements across the city were flooded, and that there are emergency situations happening at a high rise and a nursing home.

“Everything’s just one big lake,” he said.

Mazzarella said all possible police, firefighters, and volunteers had been called in to help people who need rescuing from the flooding. He said he’s in contact with MEMA and hopes to get help from other communities.

See more photos and videos of the flooding:

Photos and video from the city showed flooded streets where drivers needed rescuing from their cars and backyards and cars submerged in water. Route 2 experienced particularly bad flooding, and was closed in both directions Monday night.