Flash Flooding Facts and Feelings From This Week in Gatlinburg
Tuesday, January 9th was quite the day in Gatlinburg. What started out as a working day, ended up far more interesting than I expected. I am writing this post on a few different fronts. First, I want to give you a factual account of what happened; second, I’d like to alleviate some of the concern that arose from all the postings on social media. Unfortunately, people get the wrong information or impression when something bad happens here—and sometimes, it's not even bad at all. I hope you read on to find out how the day unfolded from my point of view, and from credible news sources.
Tuesday would’ve been a six-hour work day for me at the retail shop, but when I received word in the morning I wasn’t needed, it had hallmarks of being a lazy day. I had woken up several times that night, hearing the howling, gusty winds, but not really knowing how much rain we were getting and how intense it was falling.
My wife is also having her hours slashed, so we were sitting at home watching it rain incessantly, when we heard a siren. I was a little confused, because I figured it was probably weather-related, but was oblivious to what was going on downtown. More on that in a bit.
We heard a voice immediately after the siren silenced, and didn’t really hear all of it until we opened the living room window. It was an emergency alert to seek higher ground if you were near creeks and rivers. Oh…yeah, the constant rain. Still, we didn’t fully understand the concern yet.
Our son came home early from work, and when the rain stopped, we decided to venture out to see what caused the alerts. I honestly wasn’t fully prepared to go out at all, so it was a reluctant agreement to walk into town. We took the back way into downtown, and it wasn’t long before we understood what was going on. Baskins Creek was fiercely raging and rushing along. I took a few pics, but knew I would want to hold off on the furious picture-taking until we reached the Little Pigeon River.
Even though we missed the worst of it, the river was higher and more powerful than we’d ever seen it. We saw it carry big logs underneath, causing loud thuds just below the road. Unbeknownst to us at the time, a few hours earlier, it was flooding River Road and the one by the Aquarium. They were still closed off at 1:30 when we arrived, and we saw the standing water on River Road when we made our way there after strolling behind Margaritaville, getting incredibly powerful river views.
So honestly, I really had no intention of even walking into Gatlinburg that day, but curiosity and family pressure took hold, and I gave in. Frankly, I looked like crap, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t looking to impress anyone anyway. I threw on athletic pants I got for Christmas and put on shoes, shunning socks in the process. And I never go out without socks…not even to get the mail on my day off.
That’s my account of how I saw the flash flooding in Gatlinburg…now, let’s get to some news reports of what happened.
Up to four inches of rain fell in some parts of Sevier County in less than a 24 hour period, so it was not uncommon for flood concerns to arise. Thankfully, aside from one reported incident of a car rescue, there were no injuries as a result of the dangerous and sudden flooding. Taking into account the winds blowing at a strong 80 mph in higher elevations, we are very lucky to have a favorable outcome as a result. A total of more than 20 roads were closed on Tuesday, but again, it could’ve been much worse.
Emergency personnel did a hell of a job alerting residents, in my opinion. The safety of residents and tourists should always be priority number one when any natural disaster is imminent. We heard the alert from our apartment in town, and I am thankful for that, because as newbie residents, we weren’t aware of the chaos that was percolating downtown. When I say “chaos,” I don’t mean panic; it was more of a warning and a measure to keep people informed, and that is vitally important for us to take the proper precautions to stay safe. That is certainly reassuring, moving forward.
Just to be clear to you all who have plans on coming to Gatlinburg in the coming days and weeks, don’t alter your plans. We welcome you all! I know most of you love coming to this mountain paradise in the winter months for a few reasons: lower rates on accommodations, light crowds, snow, etc. The waters have receded as fast as they rose, and everything is back to normal. The main road through town was untouched by flood waters; it was a temporary blip, in the grand scheme.
I know some people still think the whole town of Gatlinburg was burned in the fires of 2016 (it didn’t). As tragic as that was, this community has come back stronger than ever, and I can assure you, what happened on Tuesday, January 9th was just a scratch compared to what Gatlinburg has gone through in recent memory.
Thank you for reading my latest post. I hope you keep following my publication to stay updated on every event, review, and more. I would greatly appreciate it if you choose to subscribe. You’ll get all of my posts in you email inbox as soon as I publish them. Paid subscribers will get an insider’s look at how we’re adjusting to life in Gatlinburg, but you are perfectly set up as a free subscriber to get all the important information regarding your very own Gatlinburg vacation! THANKS!!!
ncG1vNJzZmifkam5qrrBrqmgpp%2Bse7TBwayrmpubY7CwuY6pZp%2Bkkai1brLLqKadoZ6ceqetwq2qZpmemXqnscSloKefow%3D%3D