Tornadoes claim 25 lives

People missing, neighbourhoods reduced to rubble in Super Tuesday presidential vote

A STRING of tornadoes tore through Nashville, Tennessee, and the surrounding counties early on Tuesday, killing at least 25 people, leaving others missing and reducing neighbourhoods to rubble as voters across the state cast ballots in the Super Tuesday presidential primary.

Governor William Lee told an afternoon media briefing that the death toll was expected to rise, as search-and-rescue crews combed through collapsed buildings and rubble for missing people, some 15 hours after the storms hit.

“Its a tragic day in our state, a sad day. There are 25 confirmed fatalities,” the governor said. “I spent the day touring and visiting victims and walking through neighbourhoods, and the devastation is heartbreaking. It’s incredible. Prayers are greatly needed.”

Lee declined to estimate how many people remained unaccounted for in the state. Nineteen of the 25 fatalities were from Putnam County, east of Nashville.

The National Weather Service said eight tornadoes were believed to have touched down in Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky, but that number could change following further analysis. It was not yet clear how many landed a direct hit on Nashville.

At least 30 people were injured. Some 48 buildings were destroyed in Nashville, with many more damaged, fire department chief director William Swann said. Tens of thousands of people were left without power.

“Severe weather and tornadoes have impacted several counties in Tennessee. Counties with the greatest impacts include Davidson, Wilson, and Putnam,” the Tennessee emergency management agency said.

The storm struck as many were sleeping in Nashville, home to 691 000 people, and one of the fastest-growing cities in the US.

“Prayers for all of those affected by the devastating tornadoes in Tennessee. We will continue to monitor the developments. The Federal Government is with you all of the way during this difficult time,” President Donald Trump said on Twitter.

The White House said Trump would visit the devastated areas tomorrow.

Pictures and videos posted on Twitter showed lightning illuminating the night sky, as the twisters roared through the country music capital, with dawn revealing dozens of houses and businesses razed to the ground.

Tennessee is one 14 US states holding presidential nominating elections on Super Tuesday and despite the destruction, polling stations were mostly open for voting, officials said, although some had to be moved.

A Davidson County Superior Court judge, ruling on an emergency request by four of the top Democratic primary candidates, extended voting by an hour at polls there. He ruled that five stations remain open until 10pm.

Crushed vehicles, piles of debris and broken power lines littered streets blocked by rescue vehicles. Residents carried away belongings from their ravaged homes.

Greg Poulson, 61, who lives in a Nashville homeless encampment with about 85 other people, said wind gusts lifted him off the ground as he ran to seek shelter underneath a bridge.

“I had a tree fall on my tent,” Poulson said. “The storm dropped right on top of us.”

Charlotte Cooper, a French teacher at Nashville Classical Charter School, said she felt lucky a twister had skipped over her house, but it still cracked the windows and flattened a fence. “It’s like a war zone,” she said. Apart from the public buildings set to be used for polling, schools, district offices and courts were closed.

The twister knocked down power lines, and one utility pole dangled horizontally in the street in the Donelson area, home to country music’s most famous Grand Ole Opry Concert Hall.