DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — Update 9/28 at 11:50 a.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning in Knox and Sevier counties until 8:00 p.m. EDT along the French Broad River from Douglas Dam to a merge with the Tennessee River. Flooding is caused by an upstream dam release.
The high release of water from the spillways has caused downstream water levels to rise and evacuations are now underway at the Deerfield Mobile Home Park and the lower side of Binginham Island Subdivision.
The agency asks that residents and property owners on Douglas Lake and along the French Broad River ensure all docks, boats and loose items are properly secured. Evacuation plans should also be in place if needed.
According to NWS, some locations that will experience flooding include Sevierville, Kodak and Kimberlin Heights.
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The Dandridge Police Department warned people living near Douglas Lake to plan for quickly rising water levels as storms move through East Tennessee.
The police department said on social media that Douglas Lake could rise by around 16 feet over the next few days, putting it back at full summer levels. The Tennessee Valley Authority previously said it is preparing for severe weather by storing water to help manage rivers, working to keep them from flooding while large amounts of rain falls.
"Reservoirs like Fontana, Cherokee, Douglas and Norris — we're going to use those projects, because they are in their fall draw-down, to help store some of this water," said James Everett in a video, from the TVA River Forecast Center. "As we get heavy rainfall, we're going to be storing water in our tributaries and then passing some of that water down."
TVA said it saw up to 8 inches of rainfall in its tributary reservoirs so far into Thursday afternoon, especially at higher elevations. Some areas could see more than 1 foot of additional rainfall as the weather system continues.
The police department also said high winds are expected to start Thursday night into Friday morning, which could cause trees to topple over and knock out the electricity.
People should take steps to stay safe during possible power outages Thursday night, such as making sure they have all needed medication and keeping charged battery packs on hand. They should also add extra time to any travel plans and slow down if they need to head onto the roads. If people need to go outside for anything though, they should stay home.
