Infant Twins Swept Out of Father's Arms to Their Deaths

Death toll in Tennessee flooding now above 20
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 23, 2021 12:45 AM CDT
Children Swept Out of Parents' Arms Missing, Dead in Tennessee
Property and vehicle damage is seen along Simpson Avenue in Waverly, Tenn., Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, after catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee has left multiple people dead and dozens missing as record-shattering rainfall washed away homes and rural roads.   (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)

The death toll in Tennessee's devastating floods is at least 22, authorities said Sunday, with about 20 others confirmed to be missing. The victims range in age from just months old to elderly in the Humphreys County tragedy. Among the dead is Wayne Spears, the longtime foreman of the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, who was checking on animals in a barn at the time, USA Today reports. "The Ranch will never be the same without him but he will always be remembered for his ready smile, kind heart, and willingness to go the extra mile for everyone around him," the ranch, a tourist attraction that holds events and offers camping, says in a Facebook post.

There have been a few instances of looting, and the area is under an 8pm curfew, the Tennessean reports. It's also under a boil water advisory, and some roads and schools are closed. Hundreds of homes are estimated to be uninhabitable after 17 inches of rain fell in the town of Waverly on Saturday. No more hazardous weather is expected for the next week. Fox 17 has the unimaginable story of twin 7-month-olds who died when they were swept out of their father's arms; he was also holding their two older siblings at the time, according to a GoFundMe for the family. A 2-year-old is still missing after being pulled from the arms of his mother, who was holding on to a clothesline and trying to hang on to five children at the same time, the Tennessean reports. (More Tennessee stories.)

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