Mary Evelyn Nicole Manning-Kellione, 39, died Sunday morning in Grainger County, Tennessee, after wading into rising floodwaters to rescue her son. The boy had been swept into a culvert during the deluge, but Manning-Kellione became trapped inside the drainage structure and drowned, according to the sheriff's office.
Her son managed to surface on the opposite side of the culvert and reached safety, unaware at first that his mother had entered the water behind him. Rescue personnel later recovered Manning-Kellione's body lodged inside the culvert.
Manning-Kellione's death marked one of at least five fatalities across Tennessee and Kentucky as torrential rains overwhelmed the region over the weekend. A Facebook post memorializing her described the moment her son realized what had happened: "Mary is the tragic and perfect example of the absolute superhuman lengths a mother will go to for her children," it read, calling her "a real-life super mom."
The flooding claimed four lives in Kentucky alone. Three fatalities occurred in Madison County, including a man and woman who died at a residence in Richmond, and a third victim swept away in his vehicle. A fourth death was reported in Jackson County.
In Hardin County, Kentucky, emergency responders pulled two minors and an adult driver from a car that had crashed into a flooded creek late Saturday. One of the minors was pronounced dead at a hospital the following day. The driver was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated.
The National Weather Service upgraded the flood threat Sunday for parts of both states to a level three out of four, designating it a "moderate risk." Meteorologists had warned of rainfall rates reaching 2 to 3 inches per hour, with some areas potentially receiving up to 5 inches in daily totals.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced Sunday afternoon that nine counties had declared states of emergency. "Some of those counties got hit with record or almost record amounts of rain in very short periods of time," he said in a video posted to social media. He urged residents to avoid traveling, noting that "bridges have been wiped out, entire roads have been wiped away and there is still standing and moving water."
Beshear signed an emergency order allowing pharmacies in affected areas to refill prescriptions damaged by floodwaters and cautioned businesses against price-gouging. He asked Kentuckians to join him and his wife, Britainy, in prayer for families navigating the disaster.
Author James Rodriguez: "A mother's instinct cost her everything, and it's a stark reminder of how quickly nature can turn a sunny morning into a tragedy."
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