HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — Hundreds of people living along the Tennessee River, in Hardin County, are preparing for the worst as the river is expected to rise another six feet.
Officials believe the river will crest at 388 feet in Savannah within the next few days. That would be lower than last year’s high water mark but some people are worried about potential disasters.
Susan Boxx moved from Bartlett to Hardin County five years ago. She’s hoping the river doesn’t flood like it did in 2019.
“We’re probably out a good five thousand dollars last year because we had to redo our electrical work,” she said. “Lost of people, my next door neighbor had five feet of water in her house.”
Some residents are concerned the Tennessee Valley Authority is not doing a proper job of controlling the water from the Pickwick Dam.
“When they open those gates and flood this area, they flood out probably 3,000 to 4,000 homes that end up with serious water damage,” Melda Collins said.
The Director of the Hardin County Emergency Management Melvin Martin does not think the area will have a repeat of 2019.
“Even if it crests at 388 feet, that’s still six to seven foot less than what we had in February of 2019,” Martin said.
Some residents have already started moving their possessions out of their homes. Martin says the area is a flood plain and believes TVA handles the water flow efficiently.
“The problem is water has to go somewhere,” Martin said. “They can only do so much. The water’s going to come through this area and all the water from East Tennessee, we’re going to see it over here.”
