Nashville remains "strong together" after another tornado outbreak
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Tornado damage in Madison, where three people were killed Saturday. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images
Violent storms tore through Nashville and the surrounding area over the weekend, upending lives and twisting familiar neighborhoods into fields of mangled debris.
- The National Weather Service is still reviewing the deadly paths of multiple tornadoes through the region.
Six people died, two of them children. Dozens more were injured.
- Three people were killed in Montgomery County.
- Three others died on Nesbitt Lane in Madison when a surge of wind rolled a mobile home onto another residence.
Survivors began sifting through the wreckage at daybreak yesterday. In Nashville, much of the damage occurred in the northern part of the city, where wind ripped away roofs and walls on some buildings and completely leveled others.
- Residents tried to salvage heirlooms from mounds of warped wood and shattered glass.
The horrific scene has unfortunately become a familiar one.
- Middle Tennessee has grown accustomed to responding to natural disasters, from 2010's flood to a storm that carved a path of destruction in March 2020.
Because we've been here before, we know what comes next.
- "We know that we work strong together," Nashville fire chief William Swann said Sunday.
"Nashville is a place where when we face adversity the community always steps up," Mayor Freddie O'Connell said.
- It was "another heartbreaking day," he said, but Nashville was ready.
- "While the days and weeks ahead will be challenging, we will respond. We will be with you."
Zoom out: The damage is widespread. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reported that 11 counties were hit during the storms. Five emergency shelters were open across the region yesterday.
- Videos shared on social media showed large funnel clouds in Davidson, Montgomery, Sumner and Robertson counties.
Ninety-one homes were destroyed in Montgomery County, per a TEMA estimate. Officials reported another 22 buildings collapsed in Nashville.
- Officials declared local and state emergencies. They are surveying the damage to determine if it qualifies for emergency federal aid.
"Unfortunately this is not something new to us," Swann said. "We've done it several times."
The big picture: "It's going to take a lot of time, a lot of resources and us coming together to get through," Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden said.
- In Montgomery County, schools are closed Monday and Tuesday while officials continue to clear roads and help displaced residents.
- But he added that the community's resilience was on display.
What he's saying: "We've been on the ground, and we've seen firsthand neighbors helping neighbors," Golden said, his voice cracking with emotion as he recalled how the community that is home to Fort Campbell was embodying Tennessee's volunteer spirit.
"We've heard stories of combat medics getting out with their jump bags to help people in the middle of the night."
- "I've never been so proud to be mayor."