NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A flash report from Tennessee's Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) has confirmed that the state's weather-related death toll has risen.
Shortly after 7 p.m. on Monday, October 7, TEMA stated that the Tennessee Department of Health confirmed 15 weather-related fatalities connected with Hurricane Helene:
- Seven in Unicoi County
- Three in Washington County
- Two in Cocke County
- One in Greene County
- One in Knox County
- One in Johnson County
Additionally, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is coordinating with area law enforcement on 9 active leads: 5 in Greene County, 3 in Unicoi County and 1 in Cocke County.
The rebuilding process in the wake of Helene has started. Several agencies, including the Nashville Salvation Army, have volunteered to help East Tennessee residents on the long road to recovery. Private pilots have flown from Nashville airports to deliver supplies for the effort.
For a full list of organizations in Middle Tennessee that have collected donations for areas impacted by Helene, follow this link.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday afternoon, has intensified to a Category 5 major hurricane. A post to X, formerly Twitter, from the National Hurricane Center called Milton "extremely dangerous" with maximum sustained winds of 180 miles per hour.
Although there is some uncertainty, landfall could happen late Wednesday or early Thursday. Fortunately, Middle Tennessee should not see an impact from Milton due to a cold front.
The Associated Press reported that Milton threatens to bring a dangerous storm surge to Tampa Bay and has set the stage for mass evacuations. As with Bristol Motor Speedway, Georgia emergency officials said that Atlanta Motor Speedway has opened camping areas and showers for people evacuating from Hurricane Milton.
TEMA established a hotline for all questions related to flood safety. You can call the citizen information hotline at (423) 979-4689 any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET for flood-related questions.