After years of inaction on flood mitigation, Governor considers funding prediction technology
TEMA requests millions of dollars for technology to warn of flood risks.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - More than two years after deadly flooding killed 20 people in a single day in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee is considering funding flood warning technology that is already in place in most states.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is requesting, as part of its budget, more than $3 million to fund what’s called a Mesonet system, which gathers rainfall data and soil saturation in real time using sensors.
Our ongoing WSMV4 Investigation “Troubled Waters” revealed earlier this year how legislation calling for a Mesonet system, along with out flood mitigation efforts, had not been funded since the deadly Waverly flood in 2021.
Our investigation also found that nearly every other state in the country has a Mesonet system, which is estimated to cost more than $3 million.
But this month during budget hearing, the director of TEMA asked for funding, prompting questions from Lee.
“If we’d had this preparedness tool, what would have happened in Waverly?” Lee asked.
“It would have given us a single point, real-time measure of rainfall that could have warned us about flash flooding,” said Patrick Sheehan, director of TEMA.
Currently, television stations like WSMV has technology to forecast heavy rains and even predict how much rain could fall, but the state itself lacks data to show how saturated the ground is in order to issue warning to people.
“Having an array of sensors could help us better understand the rainfall we are facing,” Sheehan said.
The governor will release his budget plans early next year.
WSMV4 Investigates will be following the budget process to see if the Mesonet system is funded.
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