KEMA issues urgent notice for anticipated flooding in East Knox County

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ( WATE ) — As East Tennessee communities are still assessing the damage after Friday’s storms and flooding , the Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency (KEMA) said Saturday afternoon that potential flooding could impact East Knox County via the French Broad River.

KEMA officials issued an “urgent notice to residents in communities along the French Broad River in East Knox County regarding potential flooding,” a news release stated, due to increasing the release of swell water from Douglas Dam. The French Broad River is projected to rise between two and two-and-a-half feet during the swell water discharge, KEMA stated.

“The release of water is necessary to maintain the integrity of the dam as water flows downstream from affected areas in Northeast Tennessee,” the release stated.

KEMA is continuing to monitor the situation. If evacuations are recommended, emergency response agencies and KEMA will notify the affected communities as quickly as possible. Residents are advised to take the following precautions:

• Stay informed — monitor local news, and the social media accounts of local emergency response agencies and local governments.
• Be prepared — potential flooding and possible evacuation can occur.
• Avoid driving — especially through flooded areas, since gauging the depth of floodwaters, as well as the condition of the roads, can be difficult.

Several communities, especially in Cocke , Sevier, Jefferson, Greene and Unicoi counties, have been impacted by extreme flooding or excess floodwaters since Friday’s storms rolled through from a tropical system with Hurricane Helene. President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for Tennessee due to the flooding, while the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has set up a missing persons hotline . Governor Bill Lee is expected to visit the impacted areas on Saturday.

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