Residents of a central Tennessee community hit by deadly tornadoes this weekend described a tragic and terrifying scene in which a mobile home landed on top of another, roofs were ripped off and entire churches collapsed during a series of powerful storms that killed six people.
Emergency workers and community members cleaned up Sunday from a severe weekend storm and tornado that also sent dozens more to hospitals while damaging buildings, overturning vehicles and knocking out power to tens of thousands of people.
Marco Tulio Gabriel Pérez came to Nashville from Atlanta after hearing that his sister and 2-year-old nephew were killed in the tornado.
He said two other children in the family survived with minor injuries.
Family members wept when they saw the wreckage of the trailer on Sunday morning.
“Unfortunately, tragedy happened here. Since it was a tornado, it came through as you can see here. He lives in this trailer. Another trailer overturned on top of my late sister. He stayed below, the other trailer went up,” Pérez told The AP in Spanish.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department identified the victims killed north of downtown as Joseph Dalton, 37; Floridema Gabriel Pérez, 31; and his son, Anthony Elmer Mendez, 2.
Residents of a Tennessee community were hit by a deadly tornado this weekend. AP
Dalton was inside his mobile home when the storm threw him onto the Pérez residence.
Two other children were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the department said in a statement.
Officials elsewhere confirmed that three people, including a child, died after a tornado touched down in Montgomery County 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Nashville near the Kentucky state line on Saturday evening. They did not immediately provide a name.
About 60 people were treated for injuries at area medical facilities, including nine transported in critical condition to a Nashville hospital, said Jimmie Edwards, director of Montgomery County emergency services.
Twenty-one total injuries were reported in Nashville, city officials said.
The deadly storm killed six people. AP/Mark Zaleski
A church north of downtown collapsed during the storm, leaving 13 people hospitalized, Nashville emergency officials said in a news release. They were later listed in stable condition.
The sanctuary and activity building at Community Baptist Church in Nashville has been completely demolished, Donella Johnson, the church’s pastor’s wife, said in a Facebook video.
Several members caught by the damage underwent emergency surgery for broken hips and legs, he said.
The church’s website announced a memorial service for the Johnsons late Saturday afternoon.
“Although we have suffered untold destruction, we have not lost our lives,” said Rev. Vincent Johnson. “God took bricks and wood and metal and they crumbled in a tornado … yet God preserved us.”
At least six tornado tracks were reported Saturday in central Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service.
The agency’s meteorologist Cory Mueller in Nashville said it sent a tornado tracking team on Sunday to try to confirm the potential of these tornadoes and calculate their severity.
The roof of the house was torn off and the whole church collapsed. AP
Mueller said it’s not unusual for tornadoes to spawn this time of year.
Joe Pitts, mayor of the Montgomery County city of Clarksville, said it could be several weeks before power is restored to everyone.
Residents of the city of about 166,000 people spent Sunday helping each other find their way out of the devastating storm, he said.
“We know we have people suffering from loss of life, loss of property,” Pitts said. “One thing I love about this city is that when someone has a need, we bring that need together.”
At a news conference with Metropolitan Nashville leaders, Mayor Freddie O’Connell said that more than 20 structures had collapsed there as a result of Saturday’s storm and that “many others had significant damage.”
Nashville Electric Service Executive Teresa Broyles-Aplin said electrical substations in north Nashville and in nearby Hendersonville sustained significant damage and outages could linger in some areas.
About 60 people were treated for injuries at area medical facilities, including nine transported in critical condition to Nashville hospitals. AP
He said it’s possible that a widely circulated video showing a fireball in the sky Saturday afternoon may have been caused by Nashville Electric equipment.
“That gives you a good idea of the level of damage we’re dealing with at some of these substations,” he said.
Residents of this region are used to bad weather in late autumn.
Saturday’s storm comes nearly two years after the National Weather Service recorded 41 tornadoes through a handful of states, including 16 in Tennessee and eight in Kentucky. A total of 81 people died in Kentucky alone.
Ellen Schlavach and Robyn Robichaud said that a tree fell on their home in Nashville’s Madison neighborhood, and that many of their neighbors’ homes were badly damaged.
Residents of Clarksville, a city of about 166,000 people, spent Sunday helping each other find their way out of the devastating storm. AP/Andrew Nelles Tornadoes destroy businesses on West Main in Hendersonville, Tenn. AP
They had been on duty on Saturday and had seen several warnings that thunderstorms were coming. They realized something serious after they got home and received an emergency alert on their phone.
“We quickly realized that we had to gather all the pets and hide in the bathroom,” Schlavach said. “The house shook. A tree fell on the house. Very strong. Very scary.”
Greg Chance of Nashville said he watched the news Saturday with his wife and daughter and knew bad weather was coming.
In a few minutes, they went to their safe place in the kitchen where there was no window nearby and sat on the floor.
“And then the next thing we know, it just sounded like an explosion. You could hear flying everywhere. It was crazy. It didn’t make sense. It was scary,” she said, her voice rising as she described the three of them holding each other. each other.
At least six tornado tracks were reported Saturday in central Tennessee. AP/Mark Zaleski
He said he worked with Dalton, one of the people killed in the storm, at a company that made fasteners for construction.
Chance said he can’t sleep knowing his co-worker lost his life and left behind a son. He said the boy and his mother were taken to the hospital due to injuries.
About 40,000 electric customers were without power in Tennessee Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us, down from more than 80,000 on Saturday night.
Schools will be closed in Clarksville through Tuesday, officials said.
Tennessee’s recovery continues as the eastern eye faces severe weather Sunday.
Tornado warnings were issued at noon in and around Raleigh, North Carolina, as strong storms crossed the state. There were no immediate reports of severe damage or injuries.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
