By Thomas Sellers Jr.
All the warnings and preparation couldn’t stop the deadly storms on April 2.
Starting about 3 p.m. that afternoon, the ideal conditions for a tornadic breakout started to unravel throughout the Mid-South hitting parts of the Missouri Bootheel , Tennessee, Mississippi and especially Arkansas.
The powerful storms producing severe thunderstorms, winds and tornados continued into the early hours of the morning of April 3 leading to deaths in the Volunteer State.
The tornado outbreak across Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas killed at least five people as of that Thursday morning.
In West Tennessee counties surrounding Shelby, were impacted hard, Fayette, Tipton, Dyer, Hardeman, Obion, McNairy and Madison. Reports came out Thursday morning that a 16-year-old girl and her father died in Fayette County. Other deaths were reported in McNairy, Hardeman and Obion counties.
The storms of April 2 were just the beginning of record rains over the next three days. City of Millington Manager Frankie Dakin released information ahead of the storm to get residents prepared.
As the information went public, several motorists along Veterans Parkway and Highway 51 spotted a low, hanging cloud visible for miles.
“A very active weather pattern will begin Wednesday afternoon and last into the weekend,” the statement read. “Catastrophic flooding, along with severe storms, could impact the Mid-South beginning Wednesday evening and continuing through the weekend.
“As we enter this hazardous weather pattern, Millington residents are encouraged to remain weather aware over the coming days,” it continued. “All residents should have multiple methods of receiving updated weather information, particularly during overnight hours. Most cell phones can be programmed to receive emergency alerts and weather warnings.”
The last time Flag City had to endure records amount of rain in a short period of time, the May Day Flood of 2010 took place.
Flood Preparedness and Infrastructure Improvements Since 2010:
A lot has changed in Millington’s flood response since the devastating flood of 2010. While future flooding cannot be completely ruled out, the City, alongside federal, state, and county partners, has made substantial investments to increase community resilience:
•Tens of millions of dollars has been invested in a flood resiliency project constructed along Big Creek between Highway 51 and Raleigh-Millington Road.
•Portions of the Big Creek levee have been raised to increase flood capacity.
•Large flood pumps have been installed to move excess water over the levee during high-water events.
•Heavy stormwater infrastructure improvements have been made to the Big Creek and Royster Creek channels.
•The Millington Fire Department has invested over $250,000 in training and equipment for water rescue operations. Millington is home to Tennessee’s first FEMA Type 3 Water Rescue Operations team.
Helpful Preparedness Resources For Future Reference:
•National Weather Service Preparedness: https://www.weather.gov/ind/preparedness
•Flood Safety Tips: https://www.weather.gov/afc/FloodSafety
•iPhone Alerts: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102516
•Android Alerts: https://www.android.com/articles/emergency-phone-alerts-android/
