Helene leaves thousands of Tennesseans without power, roads flooded

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — After making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday, Helene has continued rolling through the South, bringing strong winds and heavy rains to Tennessee.

Residents began seeing the impacts late Thursday night, and the rain and gusty winds are not expected to let up until Saturday morning. Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., emergency crews in the Nashville area received 66 calls for service, mostly regarding flooding and trees being knocked down by the high winds.

Nashville Electric Service (NES) crews responded to at least one report of a tree coming down into wires, and the National Weather Service said more tree damage is expected with the strong winds produced by Helene. Gusts could reach up to 50 mph, with some of the strongest winds likely in the eastern parts of the state.

Many residents and businesses were left in the dark Friday morning as gusts resulted in several power outages. As of 9 a.m. the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) said more than 62,000 Tennesseans were without power , but that number increased to 75,500 by 11:30 a.m., with more outages expected throughout the day.

In Nashville alone, NES’s outage map showed more than 400 customers were without power Friday morning. That number dropped below 200 for a brief period, but later skyrocketed to around 2,000 by 3 p.m. About an hour later, more than 7,000 outages were reported in the city. Shortly after 8 p.m., more than 530 customers were without power.

Officials said residents should be prepared for outages by gathering flashlights, batteries, and backup power sources. Generators should only be used outdoors and away from windows, and other electronics should be disconnected to prevent damage from electrical surges.

Reports of flooding in Nashville included many spots along interstates and Murfreesboro Pike. According to the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), some spots of concern were Murfreesboro Pike and Arlington Avenue, Murfreesboro Pike and Menzler Road, as well as 12th Ave North and Phillips Street.

Some other Middle Tennessee counties, including Cheatham and Montgomery, also reported ponding on roads. Sumner County’s emergency management director told News 2 the biggest problems in the area would be winds and trees blocking roads.

In East Tennessee, officials issued evacuation orders Friday morning for residents in Embreeville and Roan Mountain as floodwaters continued to rise. As evacuations were underway, another emergency situation began unfolding in a nearby city.

More than 50 people were sent to the roof of Unicoi County Hospital and were awaiting rescue after the building became “engulfed by extremely dangerous and rapidly moving water.”

TEMA requested the deployment of the Tennessee Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (HART) to the hospital in Erwin later Friday. The Nashville Fire Department and Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) also sent a Swiftwater rescue team, comprised of 13 personnel, to the area with additional crews at the Tennessee Army National Guard on standby.

According to the fire department, reports from nearby Elizabethtown indicate that there was significant damage to a major interstate and nursing home Friday, leaving people stranded in and near the flooded areas.

Around 2 p.m. Friday, Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis issued another emergency evacuation for downtown Newport after he said the Waterville Dam “suffered a catastrophic failure.” Duke Energy later reported the dam had not failed . However, evacuations were still taking place in the area.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) posted to X, formerly Twitter, that the agency issued a Condition Yellow for Nolichuky Dam in Greene County.

“A Condition Yellow indicates that the dam is approaching its threshold to withstand excessive floodwater, necessitating immediate action,” the post reads, in part. “The dam structure has not failed. Local county emergency management officials are coordinating evacuations as appropriate.”

Hawkins County residents were also asked to shelter in place due to conditions from Helene.

That same afternoon, Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order to provide critical relief to victims of the severe weather. The state is also requesting a Major Disaster Declaration from FEMA to provide impacted counties with additional resources.

Storm shelters have been established by several counties for those who may be in need during the severe weather. To find a nearby shelter, visit TEMA’s map , which is continuously updated.

The Salvation Army said Friday it is coordinating with emergency management agencies and other disaster relief organizations in Tennessee and Kentucky to assess needs and provide relief for impacted communities.

With significant power outages across the region, the Salvation Army plans to focus on feeding services using its mobile kitchen units.

The Tennessee National Guard announced that they were deploying state, county and other emergency responders to areas most affected by Hurricane Helene, including to Johnson, Carter and Unicoi counties. Several officers with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) were also deployed.

In addition to Tennessee National Guard units, TEMA requested assistance from Columbia Fire and Rescue as well as Humphreys County, Lawrence County Fire Rescue and the Lawrenceburg Fire Department to assist in Elizabethton.

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This is a developing story . WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

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