Weathering the storm

Cocke County found itself in the crosshairs of a significant springtime storm that brought severe thunderstorm and flood warnings Wednesday and Thursday. Most of the area escaped without major damage.

The storm packed wind gusts of up to 60 mph locally with the potential for damaging hail. The sudden, intense downpour saw streets deluged with water and necessitated a water rescue early Thursday morning.

It was part of a larger storm system that spawned more than a dozen tornadoes across several states from Oklahoma to Michigan to North Carolina, including parts of Tennessee, where one fatality was blamed on a tornado in Maury County.

The heavy rain led to the opening of the flood gates Thursday afternoon by Duke Energy in North Carolina to relieve pressure off the Pigeon River dam. Locally, emergency personnel were preparing a potential plan in response out concerns it could put the downtown Newport area past flood stage.

Cocke Emergency Management Agency’s (CCEMA), Swift Water Rescue Team (SWRT) along with the Newport Rescue Squad (NRS), responded Thursday morning to the Pebble Beach area of the Pigeon River off Hartford Road to rescue a man and his dog after the man either drove his vehicle into the water or it was swept into the water.

The effort went smoothly as the man and his dog were rescued thanks to the well-trained professional efforts of the SWRT and the NRS along with assistance from the Cocke Sheriff’s Office, Priority Ambulance, Cocke County Fire Department, Cosby Volunteer Fire Department and Hartford Towing.

SWRT operators were on the scene in less than seven minutes from tone out according to CCEMA, living up to its “swift” moniker.

Overnight Wednesday and into early Thursday, wind gusts and heavy rain continued to pound much of Cocke County, but by Thursday afternoon the rain had mostly subsided and water had significantly receded from roadways. However, the possibility remained that waterways could continue to rise as authorities continued to monitor the situation. Some residents were left to deal with the aftermath of cleanup of debris and fallen tree branches.

There were only scattered power outages reported by Newport Utilities, which reported that 163 customers were without power as of 9 a.m. Thursday out of 21,500 or .65%. However, by Friday morning all power had been restored.

Thankfully, the initial fears of flooding in downtown Newport from opening the Pigeon River dam floodgates never materialized.