By STEPHANIE BEECKEN
6 News Reporter
ALCOA (WATE) - Heavy rain Monday morning caused several accidents and flooded areas in Blount County.
Micah Stewart was out on the roads as the rain fell. She had to drive for about 20 minutes on Alcoa Highway as part of her morning commute.
"The roads are very saturated. They are very wet. It makes driving conditions a little difficult right now because the splash from the big trucks and the other vehicles really make it hard to see," Stewart said.
Dispatchers say a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am with four people inside hydroplaned while going west on Ellejoy Road in Walland. It slid into a utility pole.
The accident trapped a 10-year-old passenger in the car for a time. The sheriff's office says the girl was taken to UT Medical Center for treatment and everyone involved will be okay.
Several additional accidents were reported. Ponding on roadways was an issue, along with flooding.
Even apartment parking areas at Meadowood Apartments on N. Wright Road flooded. "It gets about a foot and a half deep right there, and the water came up to the sidewalk. It was pretty intense," said a resident, Matthew Cagley.
City of Alcoa Public Works employees were cleaning out culverts and trying to prevent additional roads, yards, and parking lots from flooding.
By 10:00 a.m., almost and inch and a half of rain fell in Blount County.
Up to three inches of rain fell in areas of East Tennessee Monday, and there were several accidents across the area.
Ponding on roadways was an issue, along with flooding.
City of Alcoa Public Works employees were cleaning out culverts.
A 1999 Pontiac Grand Am with four people inside hydroplaned on Ellejoy Road.
