REALLY SCARY Tennessee woman killed by floodwaters posted video moments before being swept away

Breadcrumb Trail Links

World

“Well, if anybody’s seeing me on Facebook Live, we’re being flooded right now in Waverly, Tennessee. Really scary,” Linda Almond said in the video

Author of the article:

Washington Post

Jaclyn Peiser

Linda Almond was killed during flooding in Waverly, Tenn. after she posted a livestream on Facebook. Photo by Linda Almond /Facebook Article content

A murky brown river of rainwater gushed outside Linda Almond’s window in Waverly, Tenn., as she turned on Facebook Live to update friends and family on Saturday.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

“We are being flooded right now,” she said in 70-second video. “Really scary.”

Soon after, the house gave way to the fierce flood and Almond, 55, found herself clinging to a power line pole. She ultimately succumbed to the torrent, dying after the water swept her away, her daughter confirmed to The Washington Post early Tuesday.

Almond is one of at least 22 people killed by a devastating rainstorm in the Waverly region, located about 60 miles west of Nashville. Dozens more are still missing.

The powerful rainfall began around 9 a.m. on Saturday. By the time the rain stopped, homes were destroyed â€" their insides scattered around town. Cars were swept away, and dirt covered the streets. An estimated 21 inches of rain fell over the area that day. Nine inches fell in just three hours, authorities said.

Almond, a South Florida native, had been living with her son in his new home in Waverly for the past few months, her daughter, Victoria Almond, 25, said. She recently spent months on a countrywide road trip with a friend and wanted to settle down for a bit to save money for a car.

“She was honestly happier than I had ever seen her,” Victoria said in an interview with The Post, adding that she had a strained relationship with her mother until a few years ago. “We had just really started rebuilding our relationship six months ago.”

It wasn’t until Saturday afternoon that Victoria opened Facebook to see her mother’s 10:13 a.m. live stream.

“That was when the real worry hit,” she said.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

In the video, Almond showed floodwaters rushing past the house. At one point, she became audibly startled.

“Whoa, whoa,” she said.

“I think something just hit the side of the house,” a second person, likely her son Tommy Almond, can be heard saying in the video.

“This is scary,” she said. “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.”

Victoria, who lives with her father in Clarksville, Tenn., about 45 miles northeast of Waverly, watched the video from a friend’s house, where she had stayed the night before. She didn’t have reliable cell service.

“I couldn’t contact her or Tommy,” she said. “The towers were down and I didn’t know what was going on.”

Her aunt phoned hours later after receiving a call from Tommy, 37.

“She was crying and said that mom and Tommy were in danger and got caught in the flood,” Victoria said. Tommy had gotten to safety, but they had not yet found her mother.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

Victoria finally talked to Tommy that night. He recounted the harrowing events from earlier that day. Almond had been in poor health, Victoria said, noting that she was on disability for a bad back, so she knew her mother likely did not survive.

“I could hear it in his voice, the way he described it and his tone of voice â€" I already knew,” Victoria said. “It wasn’t confirmed, but I already knew.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Tommy told Victoria they had just finished clearing the floor of their belongings when they noticed water flowing inside the house. Before they knew it, the home was flooded.

“My brother’s house was lifted off its foundation,” Victoria added.

At some point â€" Victoria is not sure how â€" the two found themselves in the heart of the floodwaters. They clung to a power line pole but soon had to let go when they saw a house floating directly toward them. So they let go to avoid getting hit, Victoria said. She isn’t sure how long they held on.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

“My brother went down for about 45 seconds underwater and when he came back up, he couldn’t find mom,” Victoria said. “That was when they let go. It was the last time he saw her.”

Earlier, Tommy had told his mother to climb a tree, but she “was too scared,” Victoria said.

Tommy eventually found a roof that had collapsed to the water level and climbed on top of it to wait out the storm, Victoria said. He then walked down the streets until bystanders let him use their phone.

Members of the U.S. Army survey flood damage on August 23, 2021 in Waverly, Tennessee. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Authorities recovered Almond’s body on Sunday. Victoria’s aunt arrived at the hospital before the rest of the family. She identified Almond’s body, Victoria said.

“I refused to see my mom in that state,” Victoria said. “We’re not doing a viewing because Tommy didn’t want to see her again like that.”

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

As the family begins to process their loss, Victoria said Tommy is also dealing with the trauma he endured on Saturday.

“He really seems like he’s in shock,” Victoria said. “He was in the military and he said that flood was the scariest thing he’s ever been through.”

Tommy stayed with a friend Saturday night, Victoria said. When she asked if he wanted to take a shower, Tommy responded that he couldn’t stand the thought of being wet again.

Much of the family has gathered at Victoria’s father’s house, she said.

Vehicles swept away by flood waters are piled in a ditch on August 23, 2021 in Waverly, Tennessee. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Almond will be remembered for her warm and caring personality, Victoria said. She saw her mom the weekend before the flood â€" the last time she would spend time with her in person. Almond gave her daughter a shirt from her cross-country trip.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

“She taught me to always have an open mind and see both sides of the coin,” Victoria, who was considering a move to Waverly, said. “She wasn’t judgmental at all.”

The 25-year-old is grappling with the unpredictability of grief but said she finds comfort in knowing her mother was the happiest she had been in the years leading up to her death.

“The thing I kept remembering while we were searching for her is her tattoo on her arm,” Victoria said. It was of the ichthys, or the “Jesus fish,” as Victoria called it.

“It said: ‘Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love,'” she said, noting the quote from One Corinthians. “That’s what she lived her life by, and that’s what she taught me to live by.”

Share this article in your social network Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Toronto SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up!

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of The Toronto Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox.

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notificationsâ€"you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

Share this post