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‘Catastrophic’ flooding in Tennessee: 21 dead, 20 missing
The family of six woke Saturday to floods bursting into their new duplex, relatives said. The water outside was up to their chests. Soon it tore them apart.
Danielle Hall, 25, was swept to a tree, where she clung for hours, waiting to be rescued, family members said. Her partner, Matt Rigney, tried to grab their four children, but a current pulled them away.
Two of the young children resurfaced unscathed, said their grandparents, who heard the story later. But Hall and Rigney’s 7-month-old twins never came up.
They are among 21 known victims of the historic rain and flash flooding that swept central Tennessee on Saturday, devastating the small city of Waverly, about 60 miles west of Nashville. Receding waters left behind wrecked homes, flipped cars and a list of about 20 people whose whereabouts remained unknown. Rescuers were still searching for the missing as nightfall approached Sunday.
“It is a devastating picture of loss and heartache,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said during an afternoon news conference.
In the early hours of the disaster, families desperate for answers filled Facebook groups and comment chains with the names of their missing loved ones. Authorities circulated the names of about 45 people feared missing, trimming it after some were found safe. Amid a widespread loss of power and cellphone service, “folks were just having trouble getting a hold of their loved ones,” Waverly Chief of Public Safety Grant Gillespie said.
The extreme weather hobbled communication and movement, making it difficult for first responders to reach people who needed help. Authorities said the death toll might have been higher if not for the efforts of community members who made rescues on their own.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) called the torrential rain and flooding “catastrophic.” One observation site recorded 17 inches of rain in 24 hours, blowing past the state’s nearly 14-inch record set in 1982, a meteorologist said. A flash flood watch issued Friday quickly became a “flash flood emergency” Saturday as some people yelled for help from their rooftops while others found themselves trapped in vehicles.
Flash flood emergency alerts are saved for “the most dire circumstances,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Krissy Hurley, who said Sunday that Waverly had been “pretty much underwater.” “Yesterday was definitely one of them.”
The destruction unfolded as other extreme weather events around the country stoke concerns that the changing climate is making natural disasters more frequent and more intense. The Northeast braced for an unrelated pummeling from Tropical Storm Henri, which was downgraded to a depression Sunday night after it made landfall; the West is battling wildfires; and flooding in North Carolina recently left several people dead. Although Hurley could not say whether climate change played a role in the devastation in Tennessee, she said the area has been battered by three fearsome floods in less than a year. The last one, in March, was also deadly.
“This is unusual,” she said, calling the weekend’s rains more reminiscent of a hurricane on the coast than a flash flood in central Tennessee. A thunderstorm kept hitting the same spots, she said, and “when you get that amount of rainfall in a short amount of time, you are going to have devastating consequences.”
Chris Davis, the sheriff in hard-hit Humphreys County, offered a mix of sorrow and resolve Sunday.
“Small town, small community. We know each other, we love each other,” he told local TV station News 4 Nashville in an interview. One of his best friends drowned, he said.
“It’s tough, but we’re going to move forward,” he said. “I slow down and I talk about it, and I get emotional. If I stay — you know, if I stay working and focused, we work through it.”
President Biden said he has spoken with Tennessee’s governor and stands “ready to offer them support.”
Joey Hall, the grandfather of the two 7-month-olds, said his daughter called him, worrying about how she would afford to bury her babies. The young couple had lost nearly everything — and even before the floods swept through, they were spread thin, said Hall and his wife, Jeanna Hall, who live about an hour’s drive from Waverly in Ashland City, Tenn.
Joey Hall said his daughter’s family had recently moved into their duplex weeks ago, seeking somewhere closer to relatives — and cheaper, as they tried to get by on Rigney’s factory night-shift salary.
Danielle Hall got to hold her deceased children briefly in the hospital before they were taken away, the family said. The twins were reportedly found together.
“Every time they’d put them apart in the bed, they would cry,” said their grandfather, who is in his 40s. “You put them next to each other, they’re holding each other’s hands and arms. Sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Sunday was full of tears as person after person called to offer help. A GoFundMe drive for the family has raised more than $30,000.
“God is good,” said Jeanna Hall, 38. “He sees us hurting, and how broke we are right now.”
By Sunday, the waters had receded, and the torrential rain had given way to showers. But officials were still pleading for caution and announced an 8 p.m. curfew.
TEMA said more than 10,000 customers in the storm area lacked power. Teams were still working after conducting more than 20 rescues and evacuations Saturday and searching about 100 homes and 25 businesses, the agency said. Waverly, home to several thousand people, reported that its water treatment facility was down, and residents there and in nearby Bon Aqua were told to boil their drinking water.
Authorities said the number of deaths could climb as the search effort continues.
“I would expect, given the number of fatalities we’ve seen so far, that we’re going to see mostly recovery efforts at this point, rather than rescue efforts,” TEMA Director Patrick Sheehan said during a news conference.
Other counties affected include Dickson, Hickman and Houston, according to TEMA. The sheriffs in those counties have yet to report fatalities but had urged people to stay home as they warned of downed trees and roads made impassable by water and debris.
The disaster came on quickly. Staffers stranded in the gym of an elementary school asked for prayers Saturday. A slew of agencies responded: The Tennessee National Guard said Sunday that it was flying medics and other first responders into “impassable areas” as troops roamed below in vehicles equipped for high-water rescues.
Waverly Mayor Wallace “Buddy” Frazier said in an interview that two employees in a city building put a couch on a conference table to escape the rising waters, while the director of schools headed to the roof. He said another man called his wife and “all he could say was ‘I love you.’ ”
“That’s how violent and sudden a force it was,” Frazier told The Washington Post.
Entire houses were swept away, he said: “Sometimes I’ll see a house and I’m trying to think in my mind, ‘Now where was that house?’ ”
“I just was not prepared to see the kind of devastation that we have here,” the mayor added. “I just in my wildest dreams couldn’t have dreamed that we’d have that type of damage.”
A 20-minute drive from Waverly, in McEwen, Tenn., Tamara Woodward said she and her boyfriend woke up early Saturday to strong rain but “didn’t think much of it” at first. Then her boyfriend tried to get to the farm he runs next door. He couldn’t get through the driveway, Woodward said.
They stayed inside all day as the news grew more dire. Alerts pinged on their phones; they saw a picture of a car floating by and listened to sirens. “We’ve lived here three years, and yeah, we’ve seen the creek rise maybe three times. … But nothing like this,” Woodward said.
They were not immune to the damage — their basement flooded and their farm fences toppled — but they feel intensely lucky, Woodward said. As soon as they could, they brought supplies down to donation centers, including bags of clothes, masks and sanitizer, because Woodward worries about another threat: the spread of the coronavirus.
“We’re mostly focused on just helping the people of Waverly,” she said.
When she read about the 7-month-olds, she burst into tears.
Another woman told local news station WKRN that her 2-year-old nephew, Kellen Burrow Vaughn, was also swept away and missing.
McEwen High School’s gym is acting as a reunification center, officials said, and three churches in Waverly are offering shelter: Waverly Church of Christ, First Baptist Church and Compassion Church.
“It absolutely looks like a war zone,” said Kristen Ellis Horton, who said her briefly missing family friend in Waverly was found okay. “So many people displaced. So many people have nothing.”
“This flood happened so quick. … No one was prepared,” she told.
httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcOgC3rnSrI
Nearly 2,000 people lined the shores of a small Florida beach earlier this week to publicly proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ.
The Church of Eleven22 baptized 1,958 people on the shores of Hanna Park Beach in Jacksonville, FL Sunday.
“1,958 members of our church family went public with their faith today and got baptized! Every year Beach Baptism somehow gets better and better and we could not be more in awe of the goodness of God,” reads a caption from The Church of Eleven22.
Hundreds more lined the shore in support of loved ones giving their “yes” to Jesus.
Church organizers told CBN News that participants traveled from across the country including from neighboring areas of Florida and southeast Georgia to take part of the annual event.
“We are a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. Today, we celebrated 1,958 people proclaiming Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It doesn’t get much better than that! The church is alive and well, the Spirit of God is on the move, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is still changing lives as it has for thousands of years,” said Pastor Joby Martin, lead pastor of The Church of Eleven22.
For the last decade, the church has been hosting an annual beach baptism and each year the event has grown in size. As CBN News reported, more than 1,600 people were baptized at the same site last year.
“It’s a great reminder that the church is not dead, and neither is God. He is moving amongst his people all over the world and we’re all just swept up in His work. It’s a gift to be a part of it all,” Jay Owen, a spokesperson with the Church of Eleven22, told us at the time.
Those who attended the event are thanking God for what took place.
“Privilege to be there and celebrate with everyone,” one person commented on Facebook.
“A million little miracles…what an amazing day,” another person shared on Instagram.
“My fourth year coming to Beach Baptism and every year is so powerful and amazing! Praise God,” shared social media user Jeanette Marsh.
Sources:CBN News
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth led a prayer during a voluntary event at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday that addressed Jesus as king and invoked His wisdom for guidance, prompting critics to accuse him of violating the U.S. Constitution.
“King Jesus, we come humbly before you, seeking your face, seeking your grace, in humble obedience to your law and to your word,” Hegseth prayed. “We come as sinners saved only by that grace, seeking your providence in our lives and in our nation.”
“Lord God, we ask for the wisdom to see what is right and in each and every day, in each and every circumstance, the courage to do what is right in obedience to your will. It is in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that we pray. And all God’s people say amen,” Hegseth added, to which some in the audience replied, “Amen.”
Hegseth noted that the voluntary 30-minute prayer event, which was called the “Secretary of Defense Christian Prayer & Worship Service,” might become a monthly occurrence.
Hegseth appeared to mock The New York Times for its story on the service, noting how the left-leaning outlet was effectively forced to print a prayer to Jesus in its entirety. The New York Times has been critical of Hegseth, publishing stories implying he wants to start a new Crusade while highlighting his Latin “Deus Vult” tattoo, which drew scrutiny as the rallying cry of the First Crusade in 1095.
In January, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sent a 33-page letter to Hegseth complaining about his tattoo, which she claimed indicated he is an “insider threat.”
Hegseth’s prayer this week has prompted pushback from some critics who claim it was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Rachel VanLandingham, a former Pentagon lawyer and now a law professor at Southwestern Law School, called the service “incredibly problematic,” according to CNN.
VanLandingham said the “core of the Establishment Clause is the state not endorsing a particular religion, but having a broadcast event is obviously an endorsement even if they don’t officially say, ‘this is a Pentagon event.’”
“I think it’s sponsorship in the true sense of the word, outside of funding — he’s advocating for this, he is putting his weight of the official Office of the Secretary of Defense behind a particular religious event and inviting someone to the Pentagon to conduct it,” she added. “That’s wrong.”
Military Religious Freedom Foundation founder Mikey Weinstein, whose nonprofit has endeavored to remove overtly religious symbols from the military for 20 years, invoked the Holocaust to criticize the prayer service, according to a Wednesday video he posted to his website.
“I’ve been asked by the media what I think this means and what the impact is, and my response is simple: it’s a holocaust, and I speak to you as somebody who suffered the fact that members of my family were actually slaughtered in the Nazi Holocaust,” he said. “It’s beyond description. It rips us under our Constitution [sic], and it’s something we can’t let happen.”
Erin Smith, who serves as associate counsel at First Liberty Institute, expressed support for Hegseth in a statement provided to The Christian Post.
Smith likened Hegseth’s religious exercise to that of the 26 U.S. Navy SEALs who sued the U.S. Department of Defense after being relieved of duty for refusing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds after being denied a religious exemption.
“Secretary Hegseth’s exercise of his religious faith is protected just like it was for the Navy SEALs we represented against the prior administration when it tried to kick them out for their faith objection to Covid requirements,” Smith said. “We commend Secretary Hegseth for standing up for the Constitution and against censorship.”
Phil Mendes, one of the SEALs in the lawsuit, featured as a witness during Attorney General Pam Bondi’s first meeting of the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias in the Federal Government last month.
Also speaking at the Pentagon event with Hegseth was Brooks Potteiger, pastor of Hegseth’s home church Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, which was established 2021 in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, near Nashville.
Potteiger delivered a prayer that claimed President Donald Trump and other leaders were appointed to their offices according to God’s sovereignty, and asked God to provide the president with wisdom and protection.
“We pray for our leaders who you have sovereignly appointed — for President Trump, thank you for the way that you have used him to bring stability and moral clarity to our land. And we pray that you would continue to protect him, bless him, give him great wisdom,” he said. “We pray that you would surround him with faithful counselors who fear your name and love your precepts.”
Potteiger’s church is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), which was cofounded by Douglas Wilson in 1998 and formerly called the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches until its name was changed in 2011 to avoid association with the Confederacy.
Sources:Christianpost
വാഷിംഗ്ടൺ ഡി സി :രണ്ട് ഇസ്രായേലി എംബസി ജീവനക്കാരുടെ മരണത്തിന് കാരണമായ ആക്രമണത്തെത്തുടർന്ന് അവധിക്കാല വാരാന്ത്യത്തിലേക്ക് കടക്കുമ്പോൾ വാഷിംഗ്ടണിലെ സ്കൂളുകളുടെയും മതസ്ഥാപനങ്ങളുടെയും സുരക്ഷ നിയമപാലകർ വർധിപ്പിച്ചു.
ക്യാപിറ്റൽ ജൂത മ്യൂസിയത്തിന് പുറത്ത് ഒരു തോക്കുധാരി യുവ ദമ്പതികൾക്ക് നേരെ വെടിയുതിർത്ത ആക്രമണത്തിന്റെ പശ്ചാത്തലത്തിൽ വ്യാഴാഴ്ച ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥരുമായി നടത്തിയ വാർത്താ സമ്മേളനത്തിൽ കൂടുതൽ സുരക്ഷാ നടപടികൾക്കുള്ള പദ്ധതികൾ ഉയർന്നുവന്നത്
“ഞങ്ങളുടെ വിശ്വാസാധിഷ്ഠിത സംഘടനകൾക്ക് ചുറ്റും നിങ്ങൾ ഞങ്ങളെ കണ്ടെത്തും,” ഡിസി മെട്രോപൊളിറ്റൻ പോലീസ് ഡിപ്പാർട്ട്മെന്റ് പോലീസ് മേധാവി പമേല എ. സ്മിത്ത് പറഞ്ഞു. “ഞങ്ങളുടെ സ്കൂളുകളിലും ഡിസി ജൂത കമ്മ്യൂണിറ്റി സെന്റർ പോലുള്ള സ്ഥലങ്ങളിലും നിങ്ങൾക്ക് വർദ്ധിച്ചുവരുന്ന സാന്നിധ്യം കാണാം. ഞങ്ങളുടെ ജൂത സമൂഹത്തോടൊപ്പം ഞങ്ങൾ തോളോട് തോൾ ചേർന്ന് നിൽക്കുന്നു.”
“പലസ്തീനിനെ സ്വതന്ത്രമാക്കാൻ” താൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നുവെന്ന്. സാറാ മിൽഗ്രിം, യാരോൺ ലിഷിൻസ്കി എന്നിവരുടെ മരണത്തിന് രണ്ട് കൊലപാതക കുറ്റങ്ങൾ ഉൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള ഫെഡറൽ കുറ്റങ്ങൾ ചുമത്തപെട്ട .31 കാരനായ ഏലിയാസ് റോഡ്രിഗസ് വെടിവയ്പ്പിന് ശേഷം പോലീസിനോട് പറഞ്ഞു വെടിവയ്പ്പ് കുറ്റവും ഇയാൾക്കെതിരെ ചുമത്തുന്നുണ്ടെന്ന് വാഷിംഗ്ടൺ ഡി.സിയിലെ ഇടക്കാല യുഎസ് അറ്റോർണി ജീനിൻ പിറോ പറഞ്ഞു.
വെടിവയ്പ്പ് ഒരു വിദ്വേഷ കുറ്റകൃത്യമായും ഭീകരപ്രവർത്തനമായും അധികൃതർ അന്വേഷിക്കുന്നുണ്ടെന്നും കൂടുതൽ കുറ്റങ്ങൾ ചേർത്തേക്കാമെന്നും പിറോ പറഞ്ഞു.
“ദുഃഖകരമെന്നു പറയട്ടെ, വിദ്വേഷ പ്രസംഗങ്ങളിലും വിദ്വേഷകരമായ പ്രവൃത്തികളിലും യഹൂദവിരുദ്ധതയ്ക്കെതിരെ പോരാടുന്നതിന് ഒരു സമൂഹമായി ഒരുമിച്ച് നിൽക്കുന്ന ഒരു രീതി നമുക്കുണ്ട്,” . “അതിനാൽ ഈ നിമിഷത്തിൽ സ്നേഹത്തിൽ ഐക്യപ്പെട്ട ഒരു സമൂഹമായി ഞങ്ങൾ തോളോട് തോൾ ചേർന്ന് നിൽക്കുന്നു, എന്നാൽ ഈ യുവ ദമ്പതികൾക്ക് നീതി ഉറപ്പാക്കാനും ഞങ്ങൾ പ്രതിജ്ഞാബദ്ധരാണ്.”ഡി.സി. മേയർ മുറിയൽ ബൗസർ പറഞ്ഞു.
Sources:usmalayali
Security concerns are heightened following a deadly shooting outside an American Jewish Committee (AJC) event in Washington, D.C.
Two Israeli embassy staffers, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday night. Police have apprehended a suspect who reportedly shouted “Free Palestine” during his arrest.
The incident has prompted increased security measures at religious sites nationwide. Local organizations told KOMO News that security checks and armed security have been standard practice for years, but tragedies like Wednesday night’s shooting only highlight the importance of those security precautions.
“We can’t stop living our lives, and we have to just put the necessary precautions in place,” said Regina Friedland of the American Jewish Committee Seattle.
Friedland told KOMO News that armed security and vetting attendees happen anytime the AJC hosts an event or gathering.
Nearly two decades ago, a gunman opened fire at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, prompting the organization to form a security program called Safe Washington, which continues to provide training and safety protocols to over 100 Jewish institutions statewide.
“This isn’t new for the Jewish community,” Kane said. “Sadly, this is a reminder of the necessity of security, and we are grateful to have partners in local law enforcement, but the Jewish community is not strangers to dealing with security concerns.”
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