Flash flooding hits Knoxville

Anyone who has lived here in East Tennessee through at least one season knows that we experience a wide range of weather elements. And since I've lived here for the vast majority of my life, I've grown accustomed to it. Aside from extended periods of either excessive heat or excessive cold, I like the weather in East Tennessee and there isn't a lot about it that surprises me anymore. I'm used to the roller coaster ride.

But the aftermath of a storm system that moved through yesterday is unlike anything I've ever seen in Knoxville.

It was clear over the weekend and early Monday morning that the system moving through the area would have the potential to produce strong thunderstorms. So when I thought about the possible damage and aftermath from the storm, I was more concerned about downed trees, high winds and maybe even an isolated tornado or two in parts of East Tennessee. As the storm approached, in my mind it seemed those concerns were well founded.

By midday, the skies had turned creepy dark. It looked more like 6 p.m. instead of noon. I haven't been scared of thunderstorms since I was a young girl, but seeing a particularly strong-looking storm brewing can sometimes gives me an unsettled and vulnerable feeling. It's a reminder that some things (actually a lot of things) in life truly are completely beyond our control--and we can only trust God to protect us.

I produced the 6 p.m. newscast so I was at work for the duration of the storm. A number of people in our newsroom noted that the unsettling warm temperatures and dark skies greatly resembled the conditions on November 10, 2002, when another thunderstorm during the winter months sparked a tornado outbreak in Morgan County that killed seven people and destroyed dozens of homes in the Mossy Grove community. I know I wasn't the only one concerned that a similar situation could unfold on the Cumberland Plateau.

But we were wrong. The skies opened up around lunch time and it soon became apparent that the sustained torrential downpours that we were seeing were going to create an entirely different, but very real threat--flash flooding.

We went on air with sustained weather and flooding coverage (we call it wall-to-wall weather) around 1 p.m. and stayed on all afternoon, continuing to include extended forecast information and live reports in all our early evening newscasts.

As the videos and pictures and reports started coming in, I couldn't believe it. Drivers were stranded and having to be rescued from their cars all across the city--not just in the typical flood-prone areas. Students and staff got stuck inside an east Knox County middle school for a few hours because rising waters covered the road to the building. Popular parks and greenways were completely underwater. Dumpsters floated through parking lots near one of my favorite restaurants in Fountain City. Some homes were washed off their foundations. Parts of a busy state highway that I drive nearly everyday were completely submerged thanks to a normally tranquil creek that crested into a raging mini river. It all seemed surreal. Those are the kind of images that I'm accustomed to seeing on national news--not literally right up the street. I've lived here since December 1991, and I don't remember ever seeing Knoxville flood like this.

In typical flash-flood fashion, the waters began to recede within a few hours--leaving behind messes and heartbreak. Fortunately, no one in East Tennessee died in the storm. But Second Harvest Food Bank lost a lot of its inventory and sustained expensive damage when floodwaters swept through its warehouse. Dozens of people lost their cars, belongings--and in some cases, even their homes--while others are dealing with damage. I'm sure there will be many interesting and sad stories to tell in the days to come.

The experience was also interesting from a journalist's perspective. I've been a part of snow coverage several times--but I'd managed to miss out on sustained severe thunderstorm coverage until yesterday.

It was a little bit of new territory, although very similar to other situations I've been in. After two years of working weekends in news, I've gotten used to the occasional sustained winter weather coverage and the live shots, road condition updates, school closings, route changes and flight delays that come along with it. But thunderstorms involve more elements. There are a lot more weather elements to talk about (rainfall totals, winds, storm strength, tornado risks, lightning, etc.) and a lot more potential news elements (flooding, downed trees and power lines, lightning strikes, mudslides, rockslides, potential lightning-sparked fires, etc.).

One thing that didn't surprise me is our station's response. I am blessed to work with a great bunch of people who also happen to be excellent journalists. So even though some of the particulars of the situation were new to me, the general atmosphere was not. It was definitely a little chaotic and crazy at times, as breaking news situations always are. But as always, everyone's focus was on working as hard as we could as a team to report the news with truth, accuracy and excellence, give people they information they need to make informed decisions about their personal welfare and safety and that of their loved ones--and do it all straight from the heart. And as always, our team rose to the occasion. I work with the best!