State Watch

Nashville floods leave 4 dead, 130 rescued

At least four people have died in Nashville after seven inches of rain flooded the city this weekend.

NBC News reports the Metro Nashville Police Department discovered one man in a car submerged in creek overflow, one person was found dead at a golf course and two others, a man and a woman, were found dead near a homeless camp.

The Nashville Fire Department (NFD) and water rescue teams have rescued at least 130 people from their cars and homes, NBC reports. According to the fire department, the flooding is causing mudslides that are trapping people in their homes.

As of Sunday, Nashville remains under a flash flood warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).

In a statement obtained by NBC News, NFD said that two larger creek basins — Mill Creek and Whites Creeks — have crested “at levels above minor flood and moderate flood stages.”

“The water level in those Creeks is dropping, will continue to drop as we enter the morning hours and the storm system has passed,” NFD added.

However, Nashville’s water service warned that the Harpeth River basin may still rise.

“Because of the sheer size of the Harpeth River basin, there is a massive amount of water that must make its way from smaller tributaries and rivers into the main stem of the Harpeth, so we will be watching the river to more accurately determine the flood potential for those vulnerable areas,” the water service said.

Nashville was devastated by heavy flooding in 2010, during which 13.57 inches of rain was recorded. Twenty-six people died in the 2010 flood, which damaged or destroyed almost 11,000 properties and caused more than $2 billion in private property damage.