The state of Tennessee has had two monstrous tornadoes rip through it, injuring many and killing 24. East and Central Tennessee were most affected; the first tornado came in the middle of the night. With a two percent chance of “severe weather,” no one saw it coming.

Tornado Watch

A tornado watch was put in place at 10:00 pm, though some citizens would have already been asleep, and unknowing of the danger. The tornado would have been an avoidable experience if a tornado watch was put out sooner. After a while, the fast winds that were fueling the storm weakened. Despite getting damage reports from earlier that evening, the tornado watch was dropped. The National Weather Service said their main concern was hail, with only a two percent chance of tornadoes. While the storm had dampened down, it picked back up very quickly, the radar showing a fast-moving ball of debris. Eventually, the winds reached their maximum speed, at 165 mph, when another tornado rolled through, at a max speed of 175 mph.

Casualties

In the end, 24 people were killed, including Albree Sexton, at 33 years old, Michael Dolfini, at 36 years old, Hartie Collins, at 4 years old, and Patricia Lane, at 67 years old. Hartie Collins was one of five children under 13 that were killed in the tornado. Albree and her partner, Michael, were honored with a post on Instagram saying, “Albree was a talented and inspired bartender, but more importantly, she was a bright light and a truly wonderful person.” Among others, many people had their homes destroyed, and family members injured. This caused people to get very emotional, especially those who lost friends, and family.

Cleanup, and Reconstruction

After the tornado, thousands of volunteers offered to help clean up the debris, consisting mostly in Putnam County, Cookeville, and the state capital of Nashville. Even now, the TSU (Tennessee State University) is asking for even more volunteers to come help in the cleanup. During the storms, many power lines, and roadways were damaged, and this made it dangerous for victims of the tornado to escape. “It felt like a train hit.” one of the victims said. Hopefully, the infrastructure will be fixed soon. Then, the people of Tennessee can resume their daily lives.

A Visit from the President

President Donald Trump visited soon afterward, giving praise to those caught in the storm. He gave an analysis of the debris and how bad the damage was, hoping to get an assessment of the cost of reconstruction of the multiple counties, and cities that need rebuilding. The people of Tennessee should be back on track within a couple of months, besides the emotions from the people lost in this terrible storm.

The people of Tennessee are still recovering, and we wish them all the best.