By TOMMY MILLSAPS
and MICHAEL THOMASON
Staff Writers

Heavy rain Sunday caused widespread flooding problems throughout much of Monroe County.
Rain totals of 2 to 3 inches were common across the county Sunday.
The heavy rain came on the heels of 2 inches of rain that fell during the middle and end of last week and at times was accompanied by strong winds.

The water began rising in many locations by early Sunday afternoon.
According to the Monroe County E-911 Center, much of Murray's Chapel Road near Interstate 75 in Sweetwater was under water. A car was stranded on the road, but rescue workers were able to get the people out of the car and the car was towed from the water.

Sweetwater Utilities Board General Manager Robert Bettis said SUB did not experience any electrical problems, but the utilities provider kept a close eye on water pumps and the sewer plant when Sweetwater Creek began overflowing its banks.
"It was amazing how quickly the water went back down," Bettis said, after the rain eased up. "We were very fortunate."

As the rain moved eastward, so did the problems.
Water was reported over many roads, including Old State Road and even Bank Street in Tellico Plains.
The county Highway Department always has a two-man crew on standby for emergencies, but on Sunday, as the rain came down almost nonstop, all available personnel were out.

"We had several calls of downed trees," said Jim Cline, public relations for the Monroe County Highway Department. "And there was a sinkhole came up on Cold Stream Farm Road near Lay Dairy Farm. There's a stream runs under the road there and it has been an ongoing problem. We managed to get it fixed before anyone got stuck, but we did have to close down the road for a while."

High water was a problem throughout the county. "There's not much you can do about high water, other than to wait for it to go down," Cline said. "It's the same way with trees. We try to keep trees near the roads in as good a shape as possible, but you can't fight a wind that can break them right in half."

It's been a wild month of weather so far during the first month of the year.
During the first two weeks, residents experienced one of the most extended cold spells in recent years.

The cold spell has been followed by extremely mild and wet weather the past week with the high temperature several days reaching into the 60s.
But weather forecasters say this week will be cooler, with only Wednesday having mild weather, before chances of rain and snow are on tap for the end of the week.

tommy.millsaps@advocateanddemocrat.com | 337-7101