DYERSBURG, Tenn. — On the south side of Dyersburg, homes and businesses are surrounded by flood water from the “North Fork” of the Forked Deer River.
Rescue crews have evacuated almost 50 people and some are staying in a Red Cross shelter.
Dyersburg city officials started monitoring the possibility of flooding in South Dyersburg last Thursday.
Early Monday morning, evacuations began.
“We may not have a home to go back to,” Dyersburg resident Robert Soth said. “[We] won’t know that till the water starts to recede a little.”
Soth and his family evacuated their home in a neighborhood off South Main Street and are staying in a Red Cross shelter at the First United Methodist Church.
Soth told WREG that he noticed that the water near his home was rising faster than expected.
“We got up Monday morning and the water was up on our back porch, up on the front porch,” Soth said. “We had to get out. So, we sent the kids – the older kids, out on the boat and then we got the vehicles out and we went around the way – got them back with us. They are staying with family.”
First responders have worked tirelessly, checking on victims trapped by the water.
“We’ve been going door to door with the boats, knocking on doors. There are people here who do not want to leave and we did not issue a mandatory evacuation for residents here,” said Dyersburg Mayor John Holden. “But we just want to make sure that we’re taking care of the folks who live here and check on their well-being and give them another chance to leave.”
Mayor Holder said the floodwaters were expected to crest at 30 feet on Wednesday morning.
However, the water has been dropping ever so slightly.
Businesses along South Main are suffering as well after being closed in February by floods, ice and snow.
Now, they’re forced to deal with a flood that threatens to rival a historic flood that occurred back in 2010.
“So, this is going to rank up there in the top five as far as flood events in our community,” Holden said.
Mayor Holden said crews will go back out on Wednesday to see if anyone has changed their mind and wants to leave.
