Residents Run From Rising Water

Tuesday has been a busy day of evacuations for many folks and some tried to get an early jump on the work.  One of the first places to see the rising water from the South Chickamauga Creek was the FountainBleau Apartments in East Ridge.

Water was the wake-up call for many residents.  "We got awakened this morning at 3 by a neighbor downstairs.  She told us we better move our cars because it was coming up," James Burke says.  Some of his neighbors already had started moving out.  There residents in rental vans and sofas stuffed in trucks.  But Virginia Pell could only watch as others save their stuff.  "I'm trying to get everything up off of the floor and save as much as I can but I don't think i'll be able to save much," she says.

Others surely await the same fate.  Standing in the night and feeling left in the dark.  It's not comforting.  "But there's nothing I can do about it.  There are so many people in the same predicament," says Pell.  As the water level climbs, cars continue to pour in.  There is water up to the front bumpers.  It's strong enough to float a trash dumpster and scary enough to make you move.  "I'm afraid I want to get out of here before it rises anymore," says Pell.   

The water working its way towards their homes is filled with mud, insects, sewage and who-knows-what.  "I'm expecting the worst.  I didn't figure to see it this bad this morning though," says Burke.  Bad.  But likely not the worst.

Click HERE to visit Flood Photo Gallery #1

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Click HERE to visit Flood Photo Gallery #3

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