Troopers stand in the gap with rescue, recovery after flooding

Lt. Lee Chaffin, left, and Tpr. Jeff Buchanan, right, both of the
THP Special Operations Unit, assist a man onto the THP helicopter after he
was rescued with his two dogs following record flooding that
swept through parts of the state.

Tennessee state troopers risked their own lives and acted quickly to evacuate residents, perform water rescues, and assess danger to roadways following unprecedented flooding and storms in the Nashville area that began April 30.

Federal disaster declarations were made for 48 counties after what was called thousand-year floods. At least 24 people died.

Several water rescues and helicopter extractions were performed as flood water continued to rush over hundreds of roads through cities and neighborhoods. Many residents lost all of their possessions as their homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

Numerous troopers were personally affected by the storms. AAST Tennessee State Director Bob Yoakum immediately put the wheels in motion for AAST to give Brotherhood Assistance donations to AAST members and non-member troopers who had to vacate their homes due to extensive water damage.

“The personal plight of first responders and their families is often overlooked,” Yoakum said. “Troopers tend to be viewed as having a superhuman persona in extreme recovery situations like this, with everyone counting on them to be the rescuers. Those troopers personally affected by the flooding were grateful to AAST for looking out for their own.”

The Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Office of Homeland Security responded immediately to assist citizens impacted by this overwhelming tragedy, working around the clock with rescue operations and by securing high flood areas while maintaining daily routine activities. AAST commends their actions and their dedication, under the leadership of Commissioner Dave Mitchell and Col. Mike Walker.

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