Waters recede in Southeast states

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

The dark waters of the Cumberland River slowly started to ebb Tuesday as residents who frantically fled the deadly flash floods returned home to find mud-caked floors and soggy furniture. Rescuers prayed they would not find more bodies as the floodwaters receded.

The river and its tributaries had flooded parts of middle Tennessee after a record-breaking weekend storm dumped more than a foot of rain in two days, rapidly spilling water into homes, roads and some of Music City’s best-known attractions.

At least 28 people were killed in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky by either floodwaters or tornadoes. Water submerged parts the Grand Ole Opry House, and the nearby Opryland Hotel could be closed for up to six months.

The flash flooding caught many by surprise, and efforts to warn residents to not drive on flooded streets were hampered by power outages.

As the water began to recede, bodies were recovered late Monday from homes, a yard and a wooded area outside a Nashville supermarket. By Tuesday, the flash floods were blamed in the deaths of 17 people in Tennessee alone, including nine in Nashville.

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