The severe storms that swept through central Tennessee on Saturday resulted in six deaths and sent nearly twenty people to the hospital, while homes and businesses were damaged in multiple cities.
Destruction in Montgomery County
Three people, including a child, were killed after a tornado struck Montgomery County north of Nashville near the Kentucky state line, according to county officials in a press release. The Nashville Emergency Operations Center posted on social media that three people died due to the violent storms in a neighborhood near downtown. Meanwhile, 23 other people were treated at hospitals in Montgomery County.
Damages in Clarksville
The Clarksville Fire Department posted pictures on social media showing damaged homes and debris scattered in yards, a flipped tractor-trailer on its side on the highway, and torn insulation from building walls.
Victims in Nashville
The Metro Nashville Police identified the victims who were killed in the area north of downtown as Joseph Dalton, 37; Floridma Gabriel Perez, 31, and her 2-year-old son, Anthony Elmer Mendez. Dalton was inside his mobile home when the storm tossed it onto Perez’s home. Two other children, one from each home, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a statement from the department.
Destruction and Calls for Help
Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts expressed his sorrow for the families who lost loved ones and said the city is ready to assist them during their time of grief. He urged residents to stay in their homes while rescue workers assess the situation. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said he and his wife, Maria, are praying for all Tennesseans affected by the storms and asked everyone to follow the guidance of local and state officials.
Residents’ Experiences
Shanika Washington said that when she heard the storm sirens in her Clarksville neighborhood, she took her children, aged 5 and 10, to a windowless bathroom in her basement. She said, “The lights were flickering, so I knew it was close in the area. I kept praying to God while it was happening. It was very terrifying and scary.”
During the harrowing 20 minutes in the bathroom, Washington used her children as a protective shield. She said, “The back door blew completely open, and I heard a loud noise from the winds. The curtains and things were shaking violently. I could tell we were in the middle of the storm.”
When she emerged from the bathroom, she looked out the window and saw the devastation: debris scattered on cars with shattered windows. Curtains torn from homes. Some roofs completely ripped off homes. Air conditioning units and backyard grills thrown about like toys, and wooden fences between homes were missing.
Due to power outages in the area, Washington took her children to a hotel for the night. She said, “I’m still a bit shaken, so I probably won’t get much sleep tonight. I’m still trying to process everything.”
Ali Phillips, who lives in Clarksville, said she was having lunch when she started receiving alerts that a tornado was rapidly approaching her neighborhood. She said, “It was painful to watch the live broadcast and not know if my house was still there.” And when we finally decided to leave, the road to my house was closed because many power lines were down and we had to take a detour.”
Phillips said her house survived with minor damage – noting that her daughter’s toys were damaged and a neighbor’s dog cage was thrown against the back of her house – but she was saddened to see that her neighbor’s house lost its roof and that a house in the neighborhood was completely missing.
A statement was released
The National Weather Service issued multiple warnings about tornadoes in Tennessee, stating that it intends to study the area that was hit by a tornado in Kentucky.
According to PowerOutage.us, over 80,000 electricity customers were without power in Tennessee on Saturday night.
The storm came nearly two years after the National Weather Service recorded 41 tornadoes in several states, including 16 in Tennessee and eight in Kentucky. A total of 81 people died in Kentucky alone.
The news was reported by Raby from Charleston, West Virginia.
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