(The Center Square) – An estimated $406 million in damage was avoided during Hurricane Helene because of flood mitigation strategies, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Computer modeling showed what could have happened in the Tennessee River Watershed, which included Lenoir City, Chattanooga, Kingsport, Elizabethton, Clinton, and South Pittsburg, the authority said.
The Tennessee River Watershed received two months worth of normal rainfall in just three days. The 10 tributary reservoirs held enough to fill 612 Olympic-sized swimming pools, about 404 billion gallons of water, according to TVA.
The dams in Lenoir City and Chattanooga were able to keep the flood waters from rising 21 to 23 feet higher. The flow at Nolichucky Dam near Greenville was nearly twice that of Niagara Falls, authorities estimated.
“This was some of the highest flood levels we’ve seen in the Tennessee Valley in its entire history,” said James Everett, TVA’s general manager of river management. “We saw a record amount of flooding and we saw tremendous amounts of rainfall that caused that flooding.”
Communities in the watershed affected by the storms that swept through on Sept. 27 said the mitigation procedures saved lives.
“Greene County was aided immeasurably by engineer representatives from TVA from the very early stages of the storm and flooding affecting Greene County,” said Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison in a release from the TVA. “TVA’s timely, accurate, and wise forecasting and professional advice to our leadership team on the conditions of the Nolichucky River and the Nolichucky Dam saved lives.”
The death toll is 230 across seven states and 18 in Tennessee. The storm caused billions of dollars in damages across the South.
A report from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences says Hurricane Helene caused an estimated $6.46 billion of losses to the industry. Gov. Brian Kemp and state officials announced a $100 million relief package for the state’s agriculture industry last week.
