Chief was up to his thighs in water at Ross's Landing. Click to enlarge.
photo by Phil Snider
TVA said flood damage at Chattanooga was $17 million as some 480 structures suffered water damage.
The river crested at six feet above flood stage. More showers and thundershowers were possible today, but it appeared they would bypass the city.
All Hamilton County schools will be closed Friday because of hazardous road conditions and flooding near several schools. Saturday School programs are also cancelled.
The county’s zoned school age childcare programs will be open on Friday.
Parents should contact their child’s school regarding extracurricular activities scheduled for Friday and Saturday, school officials said.
Kindergarten pre-registration has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 13, at all elementary schools. Parents should contact their child’s zoned school for pre-registration times.
Alpine Crest Elementary field trip to Lake Winnie is rescheduled from Friday to Thursday, May 13. Snow Hill Elementary kindergarten field trip to Knoxville on Friday is cancelled. Seniors at Tyner Academy may call the school for details about senior projects.
Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport officials reported Thursday at 8:30 p.m. that Highway 153 south and northbound lanes have been reopened, so accessing the airport from Highway 153 is now much easier for travelers going to and from the airport. Airport Road is still closed, so travelers should access the airport from Highway 153 at the Airport Shepherd Road exit.
The Coolidge Park Carousel and Fountain are closed Thursday and Friday due to the flooding at the park. Both are planned to
be back in operation on Saturday at noon provided the weather
situation improves, officials said.
Water was still high across Coolidge Park and the Heritage Landing area and was covering a number of roads, including a few major arteries.
Dade, Catoosa and Walker County schools reopened Thursday. Chattanooga State was closed, as water seeped near classrooms.
Thursday afternoon, Mayor Bob Corker joined County Executive Claude Ramsey, Chattanooga Public Works Administrator Bill McDonald and County Emergency Services Director Don Allen in surveying areas of the city hit hard by flooding.
The helicopter trip provided the Mayor and County Executive a sweeping perspective of the damage caused by the storm and the areas most in need of local, state and federal assistance, officials said.
Mayor Corker said, "There are several areas throughout the city that have suffered damage as a result of this storm. Many houses and businesses are under water and many of our citizens have been displaced because of the significant flooding that our community has experienced. City workers in public works, the fire and police departments have all done great work in providing assistance during this difficult time and will continue to help our citizens in any way possible."
In addition to being in contact with the Governor's Office, Mayor Corker's Office has also been in close communication with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), and working with Hamilton County Emergency Services, has requested federal aid to for the city, it was stated.
Mayor Corker added, "I have talked to Governor Bredesen to make him aware of the scope of the problems in Chattanooga and he has pledged to provide all possible assistance to the areas of the community affected by the storm."
CARTA officials said Thursday morning: At this time, nine of CARTA's bus routes are on detour routes due to flooding. The routes affected are Alton Park, North Chattanooga, Eastgate/Hamilton Place, East Brainerd, East Lake, East Chattanooga, Rossville, Cromwell Road and Amnicola Highway. Passengers who use these routes are advised to call the CARTA Information Line at 629-1473 (TDD 624-4534) for more specific detour information."
County officials said there have been 98 emergency water rescue calls since Wednesday morning.
Officials said 40 people were housed at an emergency shelter at Brainerd High School as of Thursday afternoon.
TVA said at 3:30 p.m. that the Tennessee River water level was at 35.6 feet and "descending very slowly."
At 2:30 p.m., the National weather service said the level of South Chickamauga Creek was 29.1 feet.
East Ridge Hospital was still inaccessbile, but was continuing in-house patient care.
There was extensive water at Brainerd near the Brainerd Levee in the vicinity of Hooters, Sir Goony Golf, Big Lots, Rib & Loin and several car dealerships.
Several people, including an 87-year-old woman, were rescued by boat from the Riveria Villas near Coolidge Park. Nearby, the water was up to the steps of Pisa Pizza, and the road to Heritage Landing was under several feet of water.
There was extensive flooding along 23rd Street, and the freeway ramp to Rossville Boulevard was closed.
The reception for the Armed Forces Day Parade has been cancelled. The Armory is competely surrounded by water.
The parade is still on for Friday, however. But officials said since the county schools are closed on Friday that JROTC units will not be participating.
In East Ridge, Lt. Tim Mullinax said that due to the flooding, there will be no garbage service today, Thursday.
He said, "Also, residents are advised that city services located behind
East Ridge Hospital are closed today because of the high water. If you have any questions, or need more information, feel free to contact the police department."
Electric Power Board officials said as of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the EPB had restored all of the outages in the area except for those customers who homes or businesses have been damaged and evacuated due to flooding conditions.
Officials said, "Crews have been working in extremely wet conditions and around the clock to restore power by this afternoon.
"Any customer that experiences a power outage should call EPB’s customer service line at 648-2706, and use the automated system to report their outage. This automated system is the quickest way for repair crew dispatchers to receive notice of the outage, and it allows EPB to keep its customer service telephone lines available for responding to emergency situations."
EPB's Brainerd Branch Office located at 5736 Brainerd Road was closed Thursday due to flooding conditions. The Brainerd office will reopen Friday during normal business hours of 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. - weather permitting.
TVA officials said:
TVA remains in a major flood-control operation and is managing the river system to minimize flood impacts.
The Tennessee River at Chattanooga crested last night at an elevation of 657.2 feet above sea level, which is about 6 feet above flood stage — 36 feet at the Walnut Street Bridge downtown.
Flooding is expected to impact about 480 structures in the Chattanooga area, with an estimated damage of about $17 million.
This is the second-highest flood stage in Chattanooga since the TVA reservoir system was constructed. Water rose nearly 17 feet on Tuesday, May 6. The stage will remain at the current level through much of Thursday and is expected to gradually recede to below flood stage sometime Sunday.
Since the storm began, the area between Knoxville and Chattanooga has had rainfall amounts greater than 12 inches, the major contributor to high flows at Chattanooga.
TVA has been spilling water at all main river dams and now is spilling at Tims Ford, Hiwassee, Fontana, Apalachia, Great Falls, Normandy and Ocoee 1, 2 and 3. Douglas is scheduled to resume spill operations this morning. Hiwassee is above normal summer-pool levels in the tributaries and in Fort Loudoun, Watts Bar, Chickamauga and Pickwick reservoirs on the Tennessee River.
Florence, Ala., is experiencing some flood damage, with crest levels at 7 feet above flood stage. Crest levels at Savannah, Tenn., are expected to crest at about 11 feet above flood stage, with damage to agricultural areas.
The U.S. Coast Guard has closed Guntersville, Nickajack and Chickamauga locks and the Tennessee River to all river traffic above and below Chattanooga, from mile 425 to mile 475.
Flood-control operations are being coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Kentucky Reservoir due to flooding on the lower Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
TVA has notified all state and local emergency-management agencies, including the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Services, and is continuously providing updated flood information as conditions change.
Flood photos taken by officer Craig Joel of the Chattanooga Police Department are at
http://www.chattanooga.gov/police/
Flood photos of the veterans dock on Amnicola, which almost came loose, are at
http://www.ipspress.com/Pace.html