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On The Scene

Brooks: Chattanoogans hope rain stops

CNN Correspondent Mike Brooks
CNN Correspondent Mike Brooks

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(CNN) -- Days after Tennessee was pounded by a deadly tornado, heavy rains have unleashed the worst floods in the state in more than 30 years.

CNN correspondent Mike Brooks was in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Friday with the latest on the developing story.

BROOKS: It's not looking too good at all. But it was looking a lot worse yesterday. The water is now starting to recede. As you see behind me, there is a white car. When we got here last night, the water was about midway in the door. This morning it was right around the bumper level. Now you can almost see the bottom of the wheels.

These floods did claim the first victim last night. About two blocks down the street, police and rescue workers found who they believe was a homeless man in about six to eight feet of water, and they believe he did drown. There are some homeless folks that live under the I-24 interchange just a couple of blocks away from here. They're still investigating that. But it looks like that man right now is the only victim [the flood has] claimed.

More than 1,600 people have been evacuated from their homes. Four hundred and eighty buildings have been damaged here, bringing the total damage close to $17 million just here in Chattanooga.

Yesterday we visited Chickamauga Dam, which is just north of Chattanooga, and we spoke with Randy Battles from the Tennessee Valley Authority, who talked about how much worse it could have been if they did not have a dam system set up like they do here in Chattanooga.

(Begin video)

BATTLES: By holding it back and filling all of our lakes up, we've minimized the flooding even in the Chattanooga area.

BROOKS: So all the lakes, when you held the water back on the river, all the lakes were at their maximum, and then you had to open them up?

BATTLES: Yes.

BROOKS: And you still have the flooding. Otherwise, above would be flooding, and even below it would still be flooding.

BATTLES: It would be much more significant flooding if we had not held it all back, even in the tributary plants.

(End video)

BROOKS: Right now there are about 38 million gallons of water a day flowing over the Chickamauga Dam. Normally it's about 3 million gallons per day. They said it could have been a lot worse. The people here in Chattanooga are hoping the rains hold off as the water recedes.


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