Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene tore through East Tennessee, the body of the storm’s last victim has been recovered.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced remains were found
Sept. 12 near Jackson Island along the Nolichucky River. Two days later, the medical examiner confirmed the person was Nancy Tucker, 78. Nancy and her husband, Jimmy, died when floodwaters destroyed their home. The two were married 44 years.Her body was found by debris removal crews.
Eighteen people died in East Tennessee in the aftermath of Helene, almost all due to raging floodwaters from streams and rivers, like the Nolichucky, that exploded past previous highs with little to no warning. Tennessee and North Carolina were saturated with rain in an unrelated
storm and during the hurricane on Sept. 27, 2024.
The once-in-a-5,000-year storm was one of the worst natural disasters in the region's history.
Jackson Island is just downriver from Embreeville, where the U.S. Geological Survey river gauge was destroyed that morning. The gauge’s last reading came at 11:15 a.m. and had the river nearing “major” flood stage, though it was hours away from cresting.
Experts at the National Weather Service in Morristown told Knox News at the time there was no doubt the river exceeded its previous high of 24 feet.
This is how many people died in East Tennessee counties during Helene:
- Two in Cocke County
- One in Greene County
- One in Knox County
- One in Johnson County
- Nine in Unicoi County
- Four in Washington County
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Email: tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com; X: @tyler_whetstone; Signal: twhetstone141924.39
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Two years later, Hurricane Helene's last victim is found in East Tennessee
