Catastrophic Tennessee Flooding: Baby Twins Swept Away From Dad’s Arms; 22 Dead, 20 Missing

Catastrophic and unprecedented flooding triggered by record rains in Tennessee has killed at least 22 people, including infant twins who were swept away from their father's arms in Humphreys County.

The twins, only seven months old, were identified by their grandmother, Angie Willeby, as Ryan and Riliegh, FOX affiliate WZTV reported. The twins were among the casualties of Saturday’s flash flood in Waverly.

A GoFundMe page set up for the family of the twins revealed more details about the infants’ passing. “The mother grabbed a tree and the father had the 2 twins the 5 year old and 19 month old and sadly the 2 baby’s (sic) left his arms,” the page reads. The page has since raised more than $33,000 – well above its goal of $5,000.

Sheriff Chris Davis said there are still at least 20 on the missing list. Davis said the deceased from flood waters range from “children to elderly,” NBC affiliate WSMV-TV reported. Search efforts are under way for those missing in the floods, a reunification center to provide information to people on missing loved ones was opened at McEwen High School. The American Red Cross has set up a Flood in Tennessee resource where survivors can register and let family and friends know they are safe.

As part of the efforts to further evaluate damage across affected areas, Humphreys County Schools announced that classes will be canceled from Aug. 23 through Aug. 27. “We will release more information as we assess the situation of our school system infrastructure and the conditions in the county,” a statement from McEwen High School reads.

Several businesses were damaged and power still remains out in much of the community. Sheriff Davis asked onlookers to avoid Waverly.

McEwen was the most affected town in Humphreys County. The town recorded 17 inches of rainfall Saturday. The National Weather Service (NWS) said the number is likely a new state-wide record for the most rainfall within 24 hours as the previous record in 1982 was only at 13.6 inches, The New York Times reported.

A 2017 analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency projected that Tennessee was an area at risk of increased flooding and other rain-related disasters due to its vulnerability to climate change. McEwen, in particular, has many rivers and creeks and flooding has been a problem during heavy rainfall situations.

CBS affiliate WDEF-TV projected that for this week, Tennessee will experience more heat following the weekend’s rainfall. It is expected that Monday will be “mostly clear” at night, but “with lows by Tuesday morning around 70.” However, a stray storm or rain shower is expected for Wednesday afternoon. For Thursday and Friday, “scattered PM showers and storms more likely,” the forecast said.

NWS Nashville said Sunday that it does not see “any hazardous weather for at least the next 7 days.”