Anonymous donor covers cost of Tennessee flood victims funerals

Seven-month-old twins and a seven-year-old girl were among the 20 people who died in the floods

An anonymous donor has offered to pay for the funerals of the 20 people who died in the historic floods which decimated parts of Tennessee on Saturday.

The mystery man has been going to different funeral homes around Humphreys County, where the worst of the flooding occurred, to ensure he pays the funeral cost for every single person who died.

William Brown, the manager of the Humphreys County Funeral Home, told The Tennessean that the man requested to remain unnamed as he paid for nine funerals at that location.

Seven-month-old twins and a seven-year-old girl were among the 20 people who died in the floods. Country singer Loretta Lynn’s ranch foreman was another victim in the flooding, too.

People have turned to GoFundMe and Facebook to create fundraisers for the victims while other organizations, like the Tennesse Titans and Regions bank, have donated thousands of dollars.

Heavy rainfall brought unprecedented amounts of flooding to Humphreys County. The area saw up to 17 inches of rainfall on Saturday – beating the state’s previous record for one-day rainfall by more than three inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Along with killing 20 people, the floods damaged homes and knocked down cell towers and phone lines.

President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state after Tennessee governor Bill Lee declared a state of emergency.

Clean-up crews are still sifting through the debris and rubble in the area.