Due to heavy rain and flooding in the county and rain expected during the afternoon, Hamilton County schools are closing immediately. Buses will run within the next hour. Parents may pick up their children at any time. After school care is canceled but employees will take care of children until they can be picked up by parents. Heavy flooding, especially in the north part of the county around schools is expected to be a bigger problem later on Wednesday. The biggest issues around schools are in the Soddy Daisy area.
Public safety officials are reporting several trees across roads which may cause some buses to be rerouted. The one extra hour will provide daylight to make the trip to school safer for buses and young student drivers, officials said. Bus routes ran one hour later than normal today.
A Flash Flood Warning was extended until 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is reporting that due to the heavy rains over the last 24 hours, almost all local low lying roads in Hamilton County are experiencing some form of water over the roadway.
Deputies are also reporting that numerous trees are down blocking several roadways.
The areas that have been affected the worst with trees down and water over the roadway are as follows:
8700 Block Hixson Pk. Tree down Hamilton Co
Hixson Pk./Warwickshire Dr. Tree down Hamilton Co
9200 Hixson Pk. Flooding Hamilton Co
Boy Scout/Echo Glen Flooding Hamilton Co
7600 Hixson Pk. Flooding Hamilton Co
9200 Dallas Hollow Flooding Hamilton Co
Dolly Pond Rd. Flooding Hamilton Co
7800 Gann Rd. Flooding Hamilton Co
1400 Yogi Ln. Flooding Hamilton Co
350 Memorial Dr. Tree down Red Bank
8942 Harrison Bay Rd.Tree down/Wires Hamilton Co
Dolly Pond/Gamble Rd. Flooding Hamilton Co
Middle Valley/Gann Rd. Flooding Hamilton Co
Middle Valley/Thrasher Flooding Hamilton Co
9017 Dallas Hollow Rd. Tree down Hamilton Co
8333 Middle Valley Rd.Tree down Hamilton Co
8300 Middle Valley Rd. Flooding Hamilton Co
Hamby Rd/Hixson Pk. Flooding Hamilton Co
13318 Birchwood Pk. Wires Hamilton Co
2817 Haywood Ave. Wires Chattanooga
700 E. 11th St. Flooding Chattanooga
Dodson Ave./Infantry Rd. Flooding Chattanooga
Lake Resort Dr./Lake Resort Ter. Tree down Chattanooga
300 Memorial Dr. Flooding Red Bank
Dowlen Rd. Tree down Chattanooga
3057 Lee Pk. Wires Hamilton Co
12500 Birchwood Pk. Flooding Hamilton Co
Birchwood Pk./Sam Smith Rd. Flooding Hamilton Co
Daugherty Ferry Rd./Dayton Pk. Tree down Hamilton Co
1701 Varner Rd. Flooding Hamilton Co
9045 Dallas Hollow Rd. Flooding Hamilton Co
6100 Highway 60 Flooding Hamilton Co
2700 Hixson Pk. Flooding Chattanooga
Fair Oaks Rd./Middle Valley Rd. Tree down Hamilton Co
6500 Queensbury Ln. Flooding Chattanooga
1321 Lovelady Lewis Tree down Hamilton Co
Dallas Hollow/E. Ridge Trail Tree down Hamilton Co
Shirley Pond Rd./ Poplar Bend Dr. Tree down Hamilton Co
5420 Mountain Creek Rd. Tree down Chattanooga
Hixson Pk./ Hunt Ln. Tree down Hamilton Co
8920 Wellthor Cir. Wires Hamilton
9900 Smith Morgan Ln. Tree down Hamilton Co
Dallas Hollow Rd./Hixson Pk. Tree down Hamilton Co
7100 Sims Rd/Sims Harris Tree down Hamilton Co
1930 Thatch Rd./Oak Dr. Tree down Hamilton Co
2900 Igou Ferry Rd./Corbett Dr. Tree down Hamilton Co
2418 Big Cedar Rd./Hixson Pk. Tree down Hamilton Co
8338 Middle Valley Rd./Crabtree Tree down Hamilton Co
4413 Paula Ln./Ely Rd. Wires down Red Bank
1320 Vanessa Dr./Aletha Dr. Tree down Chattanooga
9500 Birchwood Pk./Harrison Bay Rd. Tree down Hamilton Co
8678 Bramlett Rd./Watkins Rd. Flooding Hamilton Co
Due to people getting stuck in their vehicles and unexpected water over the the roadways, deputies are asking that motorists use extreme caution when driving and never attempt to drive through standing or rushing water when it is covering a roadway. Please avoid driving unless absolutely necessary until the water has had time to recede.
Weather reports indicate more rain will fall and storms are likely today which will create further problems and flooded roads. A Flash Flood Warning has again been issued for Hamilton County..
Officials said, "Once again, please do not attempt to drive across roads that are flooded or have rushing water flowing over them. Any motorists who must venture out should be cognizant of their surroundings and pay particular attention to areas that are historically prone to flooding or experience flooded roadways."
This was the latest Flash Flood Warning from the National Weather Service:
FLASH FLOOD WARNING FROM 7:25AM EDT WED UNTIL 1:30PM EDT WED THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... HAMILTON COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE... * UNTIL 130 PM EDT WEDNESDAY. * AT 722 AM EDT, DOPPLER RADAR AND AUTOMATED RAIN GAUGES INDICATED HEAVY RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE LAST SIX HOURS ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. THREE TO FOUR INCHES OF RAIN HAVE ALREADY FALLEN WITH ADDITIONAL RAINFALL EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE DAY. FLASH FLOODING IS ALREADY OCCURRING, WHICH HAS LED TO NUMEROUS ROAD CLOSURES IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN HAMILTON COUNTY. * SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE... CHATTANOOGA, SODDY-DAISY, SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, WALDEN, LAKESITE, RIDGESIDE, FAIRMOUNT, HARRISON, RED BANK, COLLEGEDALE, FLAT TOP MOUNTAIN, LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, NORTH CHICKAMAUGA CREEK GORGE, EAST RIDGE, OOLTEWAH, MIDDLE VALLEY, BIRCHWOOD, FALLING WATER, SHADY GROVE AND APISON. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TURN AROUND, DON'T DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS, URBAN AREAS, HIGHWAYS, STREETS AND UNDERPASSES AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS. PLEASE REPORT FLOODING TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.