Fentress County Executive Jimmy Johnson declared a state of emergency Monday morning following weekend flooding that left several communities inaccessible and caused significant damage.
Fentress County Emergency Management Agency Director James Bilbrey said the floods this weekend were some of the worst he has ever seen. Bilbrey said the northern end of the county near Pall Mall sustained the most severe impact from the rising water.
“I was down there yesterday when it was at highest and I’ve been living up here in Fentress County just a little over 40 years and I never seen it as high as it was yesterday,” Bilbrey said.
Fentress County Finance Director Tyler Arms said the county is currently finalizing the necessary documentation to submit the emergency declaration to state officials. Arms said the Fentress County Highway Department is currently conducting field assessments to determine the full extent of the damage to the local road system. So far, no injuries have been reported.
Arms said highway crews are prioritizing routes into isolated communities to ensure that emergency services can reach residents if needed.
“Currently the highway department is out this morning and they’re trying to assess situations of communities that are not accessible or not easily accessible due to roadway washouts and things like that,” Arms said.
Bilbrey said emergency personnel had to navigate through fields on Sunday to reach certain residents and perform welfare checks while roads remained blocked by water.
“Yesterday we had to block the roads and then we had a few that had to go through fields and to get to a resident, make sure they was okay and everything,” Bilbrey said.
Arms said his office is on standby to begin the cost-reporting process required by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Bilbrey is scheduled to meet with TEMA officials Monday to begin the costly recovery process of repairing roads and other infrastructure.
“Of course now, the waters have receded so now it’s about the recovery time and making sure that we get people taken care of, people that are out of water and utilities taken care of and roads fixed, accessibility gained, and as far as James (Bilbrey) and the EMA side it’s about making sure that all the documentation’s in place and paperwork’s taken care of,” Arms said.
Bilbrey said the county is continuing to reach out to residents in remote areas to identify any unmet needs as the water recedes.
The Fentress County Highway Department will continue to provide damage estimates to the EMA to determine the total financial impact of the storm.
