Gatlinburg, Sevier County flood waters make mark after storms dump inches of rain
Communities in East Tennessee saw torrential downpours that brought inches of rain and caused rivers to flood, especially in Gatlinburg.
On Wednesday morning, the flood waters receded, but the damage was felt. The vacation mountain town and other areas in Sevier County saw upwards of three inches of rain on Tuesday, according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service. It was enough for downtown Gatlinburg to look more like a river ride than roads usually filled with people.
People captured images of the rushing water of the Little Pigeon River next to The Old Mill restaurant in Pigeon Forge. The river crashed through downtown Gatlinburg closing off multiple roads and battering restaurants along the way.
A release from the Sevier County Government estimates that parts of the county saw upwards of four inches of rain in 24 hours.
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The flooding caused at least 20 road closures. There have been no reported injuries as of Wednesday morning, but there was a shallow water rescue off Snapp Road where emergency crews rescued a person from a car.
Along with heavy rainfall, wind gusts were measured to be up to 80 mph in the higher elevations with max wind gusts of 94 mph recorded on Cove Mountain, according to the press release from the county.
This is an ongoing story, check back for updates.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Gatlinburg, Sevier hit by flooding: Video, photos show rising waters
