Tennessee flash floods: More than a dozen people rescued at campground

Rescuers in Tennessee reportedly saved more than a dozen people trapped in rising floodwaters at a campground Tuesday night as they continued to search for others amid an ongoing flash flood warning in the eastern part of the state.

Fourteen people were first reported trapped at the Greenbrier Campground in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, according to WVLT-TV. 

The waters had started receding by early Wednesday following a storm, according to the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency (SCEMA). The waters had been as high as a picnic table at one point, sweeping away tents and other camping supplies as well as vehicles, WVLT reported. 

The area was under a flash flood warning until early Wednesday.

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Photos from SCEMA showed vehicles that had been washed away by floodwaters. 

A car was swept away by floodwaters in eastern Tennessee Tuesday night.
(Sevier County Emergency Management Agency)

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A temporary evacuation center was opened at Pittman Center Elementary School in Gatlinburg for residents displaced by flash flooding on the Little Pidgeon River. It was expected to house up to 100 people overnight, WVLT reported. 

Two cars that were swept away by floodwaters Tuesday night. 
(Sevier County Emergency Management Agency)

SCEMA, in a midnight update, said: “Expect roads and low-lying areas to remain submerged for several more hours even after water has crested.”

By 2 a.m. ET, the agency said waters were receding but people near the middle prong of the Little Pigeon River “need to remain cautious as you may encounter water on some roads and low-lying areas.”