COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. (RFD News) — Cocke County now has an early warning system designed to alert officials when rivers begin to rise.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is working with Cocke County Emergency Management and Nexcom Corporation, which donated 12 water-measuring devices. The sensors are being placed along the Pigeon, French Broad and Nolichucky rivers.
The partnership was prompted by frequent flooding in the area, including Hurricane Helene in 2024, which killed two people in Cocke County.
Joe Esway with Cocke County Emergency Management said extreme flooding has repeatedly caught residents by surprise.
“It doesn’t matter what type of rescue we go on, what type of event we have – I hear the same thing every single time. ‘I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never seen anything like this before, here.’”
When floodwaters begin to rise, the devices can notify emergency management officials, who can then alert the public if evacuations are necessary.
Forbes Walker with UTIA Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science said the goal is to get rising-water information to emergency officials quickly.
“Either an internet related thing or a radio system that can then send people texts – people like emergency management director and his staff to say at this particular bridge the water level has risen X amount in the last small period. We need to go and see what’s going on.”
Project leaders recently received USDA funding to continue the effort, which also includes work with East Tennessee State University to place a device on a river at a downtown park in Johnson City.
