Tennesseans seek missing in twister ruins
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A day after the deadliest tornado outbreak in Tennessee since at least 2011, a state of emergency was still in effect as tens of thousands of residents grappled with the lack of electricity and utilities, impassable roads, and insurance paperwork.
Tornadoes killed at least 24 people and flattened buildings across four counties Tuesday. An EF3 tornado with winds up to 165 mph tore across the Nashville area, killing two people downtown, according to the National Weather Service.
In Putnam County, which was the hardest hit, at least 18 people — five of them children — were killed by the storms, officials said. Deputies and volunteers searched for others who remained missing Wednesday, spreading out across the tornadoes’ 50-mile path of destruction.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who surveyed the area in a helicopter Tuesday, said it will take days to assess the damage. “No one was ready for it,” he said Wednesday on Fox News. “It came in the middle of the night.”
The National Weather Service had sent alerts out just before the twisters took shape, but the storms moved quickly, making it difficult for many to get to safety in time.
“It hit so fast, a lot of folks didn’t have time to take shelter,” Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said Tuesday. “Many of these folks were sleeping.”
Putnam County officials said five of the 18 killed were children under 13.
The youngest, 2-year-old Sawyer Kimberlin, died along with his parents, Josh and Erin, media outlets reported.
In coordination with the sheriff’s office, the county is still attempting to find 18 people who were reported missing, but some of them may not have been able to call their loved ones, Porter said.
“Yesterday was a terrible day for cell service,” he said.
Deputies and volunteers are still combing debris and marshland in Putnam County, where about 100 homes were destroyed or badly damaged, Putnam officials said.
In Nashville, at least 48 buildings collapsed, according to Fire Chief William Swann. Officials said gas leaks were “a major concern” in the tornadoes’ wake. About 250 electrical poles were downed or damaged, according to the Nashville Electric Service utility.
“Now we are in the transition from yesterday’s emergency to recovery,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said Wednesday. “The next phase will be rebuilding.”
Not everyone was focused on rebuilding. Maurice Morton, 56, walked through the remnants of the Nashville home he rents, wondering whether he could get back the rent check he paid a few days ago. Winds peeled back the roof, picked up Morton and tossed him several feet from where he was sitting. He still had glass embedded in his palms.
“I’m down to nothing now,” he said.
Basement East, an iconic music venue in Nashville, was nearly flattened. One surviving wall had a red, white and blue “I believe in Nashville” mural painted on it.
Three or four agricultural buildings at Tennessee State University were damaged. The historic Tennessee State Prison also was destroyed.
John C. Tune Airport in west Nashville remains closed after winds tore apart 17 hangars, signs, lighting, fencing and more, causing $93 million in infrastructure damage alone, said Kym Gerlock, a Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority spokeswoman. The cost of damage to more than 90 aircraft is unknown. Nashville International Airport wasn’t affected by the storms.
Several schools in Davidson and Wilson counties were significantly damaged. The Tennessee Department of Education is planning to relocate affected schools, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday.
Donelson Christian Academy, a private school outside Nashville, was pulverized by a tornado. Barb Oakley, who teaches prekindergarten there, was still reeling Wednesday. She wiped away tears as she surveyed the damage.
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he would visit the area Friday.
“Our hearts are full of sorrow for the lives that were lost,” Trump said. “It’s a vicious thing, those tornadoes. I’ve seen many of them during a three-year period. If you’re in their path, bad things happen. Really bad things happen.”
In the interview Wednesday on Fox News, Lee said he spoke with Trump and FEMA officials on Tuesday.
“The coordination between federal officials and our state officials is what we need, and it has already begun,” Lee said.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who will join Trump’s tour of the damage, flew to her state from Washington on Tuesday night, spokeswoman Elizabeth Gregory said.