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, according to data based from federal weather statistics.

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)