East Tennessee’s first flood fatality since Helene occurs during Cocke County weather event

A Cocke County, Tennessee woman became trapped by rising floodwaters near her home resulting in her death, according to Sheriff CJ Ball after a morning of dealing with water covering major routes and residents being rescued.

The 64-year-old victim became the 24th weather-related fatality in East Tennessee in the last 10 years and the first in Cocke County since 2024’s Hurricane Helene that claimed two lives.

A preliminary report from the National Weather Service in Morristown said between 3 and 5 inches fell in a few hours. Emergency management teams went into recovery mode just after 2:30 Thursday afternoon when a flash flood warning from the Weather Service expired without further damage.

(IMAGE: Property of Tennessee Highway Patrol / Official Facebook)