La.’s Cajun Navy heads to Tennessee in wake of floods

The Louisiana Cajun Navy set sail for Tennessee Tuesday morning to help following the aftermath of a strong storm system.
Videos posted on the “Louisiana Cajun Navy” Facebook page showed the group on the road Monday night.
Tennessee Valley Authority River Forecast Center manager James Everett told reporters Monday that, on average, 11 inches of rain have fallen this month across 650 miles of the Tennessee River and its watershed.
He said that’s about two or three times the normal monthly average.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is monitoring river crests across the state, particularly in Central Tennessee where levels are forecast to approach “Action Stage” in spots along the Cumberland River.
Everett said that over the last 10 days, 4 to 5 inches fell in eastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia, while about 12 to 13 inches fell in northern Alabama.
Tennessee has had three weather-related fatalities since Feb. 6.
Two of the three deaths were in East Tennessee — one being a 56-year-old man who drowned after his vehicle submerged on a flooded roadway near Ebenezer Road in Knox County Saturday night.
The other was the 62-year-old Hawkins County man killed in a mudslide.
A 53-year-old woman in Cheatham County had also been killed after she was swept away in swift water.
So far, 14 counties have declared local States of Emergency in Tennessee. Many roadways locally continue to be flooded, some blocking access in and out of neighborhoods.