By Hayes Hickman and Matt Lakin
The News Sentinel
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Fast-rising flood waters washed out numerous Knoxville-area roads Monday afternoon, stranding people in their cars and in their offices as rescue crews scrambled to reach them by ladder and by boat.
According to the National Weather Service, nearly 1.3 inches of rainfall was recorded before nightfall Monday, although the bulk came in a deluge of showers between 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
The Knoxville Fire Department made more than 120 runs in that time.
“The majority of those calls were for cars in water,” said KFD Capt. D.J. Corcoran. “We’re really lucky that no one got carried away in the water, or hurt or drowned.”
Rescue swimmers, supported by a KFD ladder truck, retrieved one woman who became trapped in her car on Sutherland Avenue near Cox Street, where Third Creek swamped the roadway.
In other cases, drivers ignored posted barricades in stubborn attempts to brave the high water, Corcoran said.
First Creek also flooded, leaving long stretches of Broadway impassable between Fountain City to the north and as far south as Cecil Avenue.
Traffic backed up along Interstate 640 as all interchange ramps at Broadway were shut down for several hours by gushing flood waters. Nearby, firefighters ferried about 20 people to dry ground by boat from the 640 Building and the Advanced Builders offices on Walker Boulevard.
“They weren’t in immediate danger,” Corcoran said. “They were just stranded as far as getting home.”
More than 1,200 Knoxville Utilities Board customers lost power Monday, although most of the outages were repaired by Monday night. Central Baptist Church in Fountain City set up an emergency shelter, but only about four or five families showed up.
In Northwest Knox County, Rural/Metro firefighters and the Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad responded to a school bus that was left stranded between two flooded sections of roadway near Ball Camp Pike and Johnson Road.
And students at Holston Middle School in East Knoxville were held briefly after class, waiting until the water receded enough to leave Loves Creek Road passable again.
Holston Middle is closed today while officials assess the extent of water intrusion into the building.
Second Harvest Food Bank’s warehouse on Delaware Avenuewon’treopenfor therestoftheweekafterMonday’s flooding tainted food stores and forced employees to cut off power to refrigerators and freezers, spokeswoman Cynthia Moxley said.
Customers at Aubrey’s Restaurant off Papermill Road in West Knoxville apparently took the weather in stride as they watched their vehicles float across the parking lot, where overflow from Fourth Creek measured 4 feet deep.
Most simply settled in and ordered more food, manager Mickey Korzybski said.
“Everybody just kind of hung out,” he said. “The parking lot looked like a big pool, so they couldn’t really go anywhere.”
Clear skies should return today, with a forecast high of 57 degrees. Wednesday and Thursday will see continued sunshine with highs in the low 60s.
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