Waverly man awarded Carnegie Medal for bravery during 2021 flooding
WAVERLY, Tenn. (WKRN) — More than two years after heavy rainfall caused deadly flooding throughout parts of Humphreys County, vacant buildings still serve as a reminder of the destruction that happened that day.
The severe weather on Aug. 21, 2021, claimed the lives of 20 people and destroyed several homes and businesses. However, amid the loss and devastation, people banded together to help each other, and one of those men is now being posthumously honored for his bravery.
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Scott Kilburn, a 49-year-old metal fabricator from Waverly, is among 18 civilians throughout the United States and Canada who were recently awarded the Carnegie Medal. The medal is given to those who enter extreme danger while saving or trying to save the lives of others.
According to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, the award is considered the “highest honor” for civilian heroism in North America. A total of 10,405 individuals have received the Carnegie Medal since the Pittsburgh-based fund was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1904.
While Kilburn did not survive the floods in Waverly, his actions amid the catastrophic event reportedly earned him the medal. Kilburn and his wife were stranded on the roof of his pickup truck, with rapidly rising flood water almost fully submerging the truck.
Meanwhile, washed debris continued to forcefully strike the truck.
Regenia L. Brake, 53, was trying to evacuate her son, when officials said she too was swept up in the flood. The waters carried her about a half-mile before she neared Kilburn’s truck. When Kilburn saw that Brake was in trouble, he removed his shirt and jumped into the water.
Remembering 20 victims of August 2021 catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee
“Next thing they knew, mom came floating by, and she said Scott jumped in without any hesitation to try to help Mom. That was a very selfless thing for him to do, because not many people would have done that,” Regenia’s daughter, Kayla, told News 2 last year.
He reached Brake, but they were carried away from the truck and eventually separated. Kilburn’s wife lost sight of them but held on tightly to the truck while flood water continued to surge. Officials said she remained on the roof for about three hours before she was rescued.
“There’s a lady going by in the water, soaking and screaming for help, and then he went in the water and right after he went in is when I call the wall of water, the tsunami hit. He went under and I never saw him again,” Kilburn’s wife, Tracy, recalled in an interview with News 2.
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Brake and Kilburn both drowned. His body was eventually found more than a mile away from the truck, while Brake was found about 1,000 feet away.
“I know he died a hero and that gives me comfort, and I said he earned his wings for sure that day,” Tracy Kilburn said.
Each of the recipients of the Carnegie Medal or their survivors will receive a financial grant. Nearly $45 million has been given in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits and continuing assistance over the last 119 years.
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Other recipients of the award include a father who died trying to save his son from a burning home and a husband who died trying to save his wife struggling to stay afloat in the Long Island Sound.
Among those saved by this quarter’s Carnegie Medal recipients were 10 children, including three children trapped in a burning apartment in Newport Beach, California, and three children trapped in a burning SUV in Emporia, Kansas.
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