Clarksville, Tennessee –
Severe storms ripped through Middle Tennessee on Saturday, damaging homes and businesses in multiple cities, killing six people and sending about 24 people to hospitals.
Three people, including a child, were killed when an apparent tornado struck Montgomery County, north of Nashville near the Kentucky border, county officials announced in a news release. The Nashville Emergency Operations Center announced in a post on its social media accounts that three people were killed in the area due to severe storms. Montgomery County officials said 23 more people were being treated for injuries at hospitals.
Photos posted on social media by the Clarksville Fire Department showed damaged homes with debris strewn across lawns, a tractor-trailer overturned on the highway and insulation peeling off building walls.
Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said in a statement: “This is shocking news and our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their loved ones.” “The city stands ready to assist them in their time of grief.”
No other information about the victims was immediately available Saturday.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the tornado touched down around 2 p.m., and a shelter was set up at a local high school.
Residents were asked to remain in their homes while first responders assessed the situation. In a news conference shared on social media, Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said there was widespread damage.
“So if you need help, please call 911. Help will be on the way right away. But if you can, please stay home. Stay off the streets. Our first responders have time and I need space,” he said.
Clarksville resident Allie Phillips said she was eating lunch when she started receiving notifications of a tornado rapidly approaching her neighborhood.
“I couldn’t bear watching the livestream and not knowing if my house was still there,” she said. “When we finally decided to leave, there were so many power lines on the road that the road to our home was blocked and we had to take a detour.”
Phillips said her home sustained minimal damage. She noted that her daughter’s toys were slammed and a neighbor’s dog kennel crashed into the back of the house. However, she felt sad when she saw that the house next door had no roof and was left without a home. The block had almost completely disappeared.
“The more prepared you are for this, the less something like this will happen,” she says.
The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings in Tennessee and said it planned to investigate potential tornado areas in Kentucky.
About 85,000 electricity customers were without power in Tennessee Saturday night, according to PowerOutage.us.
The storm comes nearly two years after the National Weather Service recorded 41 tornadoes in a handful of states, including 16 in Tennessee and eight in Kentucky. A total of 81 people died in Kentucky alone. Residents were asked to remain in their homes while first responders assessed the situation. In a news conference shared on social media, Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said there was widespread damage.
“So if you need help, please call 911. Help will be on the way right away. But if you can, please stay home. Stay off the streets. Our first responders have time and I need space,” he said.
Clarksville city spokesman Jimmy Settle said in an email that he had no further information on the number of structures damaged or possible injuries.
Clarksville resident Allie Phillips said she was eating lunch when she started receiving notifications of a tornado rapidly approaching her neighborhood.
“I couldn’t stand watching the livestream and not knowing if my house was still there,” she said. “When we finally decided to leave, there were so many power lines on the road that the road to our home was blocked and we had to take a detour.”
Phillips said her home sustained minimal damage. She noted that her daughter’s toys were slammed and her neighbor’s dog kennel crashed into the back of the house. However, the house next door had lost its roof, and he felt sad when he saw it gone. The block had almost completely disappeared.
“The more prepared you are for this, the less something like this will happen,” she says.
The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings in Tennessee and said it planned to investigate potential tornado areas in Kentucky.
About 85,000 electricity customers were without power in Tennessee Saturday night, according to PowerOutage.us.
The storm comes nearly two years after the National Weather Service recorded 41 tornadoes in a handful of states, including 16 in Tennessee and eight in Kentucky. A total of 81 people died in Kentucky alone.
