Deadly Night of Severe Storms in Tennessee
Severe storms carved a trail of death and destruction through Tennessee overnight.
At a Glance
- Damaging storms spawned one or more tornadoes in Middle Tennessee early Tuesday morning.
- Putnam County’s mayor said there were 16 deaths in his county.
- The governor declared a state of emergency.
- Part of Interstate 40 was closed by downed power lines and overturned tractor-trailers.
- More than 50 buildings were damaged in Nashville.
At least 22 people have been killed and more than 200 hospitalized after multiple tornadoes touched down early Tuesday in Middle Tennessee, including one that killed more than a dozen people in Putnam County.
The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed 22 deaths. Sixteen of those were in Putnam County, three in Wilson County, two in Davidson County, which is home to Nashville, and one in Benton County, according to an update from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee declared a state of emergency, which allows him to assume direct operational control over all or any part of the emergency management functions within the state.
More than 73,000 homes and businesses were without power in four counties, the state emergency agency said. Nashville Electric tweeted that four substations and 15 primary distribution lines were damaged.
(MORE: Where Tornadoes Are Most Likely in March)
State offices closed in eight counties: Davidson, Wilson, Putnam, Carroll, Benton, Fentress, Overton and Smith.
Overturned tractor-trailers blocked stretches of Interstate 24 near Antioch and Interstate 40 near Mt. Juliet. The National Weather Service office in Nashville said survey teams had seen at least EF3 tornado damage in Mt. Juliet, which is in Wilson County.
Teams also found EF3 tornado damage in Donelson, northeast of downtown Nashville in Davidson County.
Dolly Parton was among the many music stars and celebrities who sent messages of support to their fellow Tennesseans.
“We had a lot of damage out in our area. I know a lot of Nashville was just devastated with the storms,” Parton, a native of Tennessee, said in an Instagram video. “And I just wanted all of you to know that we are all with you, and hope that your family’s OK, and your property’s able to get mended pretty soon, get your lives back on. But just wanted you to know you’re being thought of, and we love you, and sorry that it all happened to all of us… To those that really lost family members, (I’m) sorry about that, and our prayers are with you.”
“Oh Nashville. Very sad morning. How do we start to help?” asked country singer Kelsea Ballerini. Others included Kasey Musgraves, Reese Witherspoon, Reba McEntire, Cassadee Pope, Cody Johnson, Sam Palladio and Bobby Bones.
“We send our love and our prayers of the nation to every family that was affected,” said President Donald Trump, who plans to visit the area on Friday. “We will get there, and we will recover, and we will rebuild, and we will help them.”
Putnam County
After flying over the path of the tornado in western Putnam County and parts of the city of Cookeville, County Mayor Randy Porter said, “I have to say, it’s pretty bad. We have a lot of homes that have been totally destroyed.”
Porter appeared at a 10 a.m. news conference with Ricky Shelton, the mayor of Cookeville, which is the county seat of Putnam. Cookeville is about 70 miles east of Nashville.
“Truly a tragic and devastating day in Cookeville and Putnam County,” Shelton said.
Porter said 16 people had been killed, but he added, “That number could change. We’re still doing search and rescue”
Porter said rescuers were going house to house searching for people.
He said at least 65 people had been treated at a local hospital.
The tornado touched down near Highway 70 near Baxter and traveled to just before Willow Avenue in Cookeville, Porter said. The hardest hit areas include Charleton Square, Plunk Whitson, Echo Valley, Prosperity Point, North Mcbroom Chapel, and Double Springs Utility District, 105.7 News reported.
Nashville and Davidson County
Nashville Mayor John Cooper told the Tennessean damage across the city was “significant” after the storm cut a 10-mile long path across downtown.
“A tornado skipped across the county,” Cooper said. “You do have people at the hospital and frankly there have been fatalities.”
At the news conference later with the governor, Cooper said the city had responded to 400 calls for help overnight and treated 156 people at the hospital, WTVF reported. Almost 50 buildings collapsed, but many more are damaged.
The Metro Nashville Police Department reported two people were killed in East Nashville. The man and women were hit by debris on McFerrin Street. The woman died at the scene, and the man died after arriving at a local hospital, Police Chief Steve Anderson said at a news conference.
The Nashville Fire Department said it was responding to reports of about 50 collapsed structures in and around Nashville.
Nashville schools were closed Tuesday. At least three schools were damaged, Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary School, Meigs Academic Magnet and Lockeland Design Center Elementary, the Tennessean reported. The damage was most severe at the Robert Churchwell magnet school, where an exterior brick wall was partially blown out and windows were broken.
Some of the hardest-hit areas in the storm included West Nashville where there were reports of damage to planes as well as overturned tractor-trailers, according to ABC affiliate WKRN.
WKRN also reported that the Five Points neighborhood in East Nashville was heavily damaged along with businesses in East Nashville and Germantown.
A gas leak was reported in Germantown forcing an evacuation.
The Basement East nightclub in East Nashville was heavily damaged when the roof was ripped off. The mayor said an Autozone store was completely destroyed.
The Tennessean compiled a list of 30 businesses that had been damaged or destroyed in East Nashville.
The historic East End United Methodist Church was severely damaged.
“It’s this beautiful Richardson Romanesque church; the bell tower is gone, the triptych widow of Jesus the Good Shepherd that they just restored and put back up a few weeks ago is gone,” neighbor Paula Wade told The Associated Press.
The storm also damaged parts of Tennessee State University’s campus including several building rooftops and downed trees and power lines, WTVF reported. The university is on spring break.
Many of Nashville’s biggest attractions escaped damage because of the tornado’s path, including the honky tonks of Broadway, the Grand Ole Opry House, the storied Ryman Auditorium, and the convention center, AP reported.
John Tune Airport officials released a statement saying the facility had suffered heavy damage: “Several hangars have been destroyed, and power lines are down. In the interest of safety, the public is advised to avoid John C. Tune until further notice.”
Voting was also affected by the storm. Tennessee is one of 14 Super Tuesday states. More than a dozen voting locations in Davidson County were damaged, and some polling sites were opening an hour later than scheduled.
“Anyone that wants to vote, we want to create an opportunity for you,” Davidson County elections administrator Jeff Roberts said. Because poll workers will be navigating through a damaged city to deliver results Tuesday night, he said the tallying may take longer than anticipated, AP reported.
A private school in Donelson, northeast of Nashville, was destroyed, WTVF reported. The Donelson Christian Academy said in a Facebook post it would be closed until further notice because of the damage.
The State Capitol in Nashville was closed, and lawmakers canceled morning meetings because many of their offices were relying on generators for electricity, the Tennessean reported.
Wilson County
The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office tweeted, “There has been extensive damage to many homes in parts of our county … including multiple road hazards.”
In addition to the three deaths, 15 people were taken to a hospital, the Sheriff’s Office said. Hundreds of people were displaced and subdivisions were damaged or destroyed. Businesses also sustained severe damage.
The Wilson County Emergency Management Agency said, “We have sporadic major damage in a swath along the entire length of our county along Interstate 40 from the Davidson County line to the Smith County line.”
Police Capt. Tyler Chandler of Mt. Juliet, which is in Wilson County, issued an update early Tuesday, “Our community has been greatly impacted by a tornado. There are multiple homes damaged and multiple people injured. There are gas lines that are leaking, power lines that are on the ground, and multiple emergency responders are responding to those who are injured and trying to get them the help that they need.”
The roof was torn off of West Wilson Middle School, and the sheriff’s office said all county schools would be closed the rest of this week.
Parts of Interstate 40 from Mt. Juliet to Tuckers Crossroads were closed because of downed power lines and overturned tractor-trailers, the Tennessee Department of Transportation reported.
Officials said the western side of Lebanon just north of I-40 sustained heavy damage.
“From Eastgate (Boulevard) all the way down Leeville Pike, it is devastation,” Bob Cawthon, shift commander with the Lebanon Fire Department, told the Tennessean.
Search and rescue operations were underway. The tornado caused significant damage to gas stations and other businesses on the north side of the Highway 109 exit. The highway was closed, as was Leeville Pike.
Benton County
Benton County Sheriff Kenny Christopher confirmed a 67-year-old man was killed when a mobile home was picked up and thrown into a field. Two other injuries were reported.
About 25 homes have been damaged.
More Bad Weather?
Severe weather is expected in the South each day through Thursday.
On Tuesday, scattered severe storms with damaging winds or large hail are possible from central Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley. Parts of central Texas have the greatest chance of severe storms.
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