Matthew Rigney and Danielle Hall lost their two twin babies to the flood that hit the central areas of the state of Tennessee in the USA on Saturday.
– I had the twins in my arms, Brayla (19 months) on my hips, and Maleah (5) wrapped around my neck, Matthew Rigney tells the local TV channel WTF-TV while he trembles in his voice. This writes Sky News.
The seven-month-old babies were shaken out of their father’s arms when water flowed into the Waverly apartment.
– We were caught
The floods that hit Tennessee on Saturday have so far claimed at least 21 lives, and dozens are missing. This writes NTB.
CATCHED: Matthew Rigney and Danielle Hall lost their seven-month-old twins during Sunday’s devastating flood. The water tore the babies out of their father’s arms right after he and the four children were dragged under water and trapped under a bed. Photo: WTVF via AP
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The grieving father tells the local TV channel WTVF-TV that he feels that he failed the twin babies who died in the flood.
– The water pulled us under when it hit us – all of us, and we were caught under a bed, he says.
He says that the water broke the glass in the front door and cascaded through the apartment.
– Tell me they’re alive
– I wish it was something I could have done, I wish I had just stayed there – I did not know if the whole house was about to collapse over us, he says, bursting into tears.
– The world is getting warmer and more dangerous
Danielle Hall says that she saw her husband get up on the roof, but that she did not see her babies. Then she shouted, “Please tell me they’re alive.”
Rigney says – in tears – that he dreaded telling his wife that he did not have all four children with him, and that he felt he had failed them.
Roads, bridges and hundreds of homes were washed away when Tennessee was hit by an unusual amount of rain on Saturday – up to 380 millimeters of rain. Thousands of people were exposed to power outages. This writes NTB.
– At least 21 people have died, sheriff Chris Davis in Humphrey’s county informs The Tennessean. Davis says that between 25 and 30 people are still missing, while the emergency services report 51.
