The tornadoes struck at night and left behind large-scale devastation in Nashville and central tennessee. Authorities say the tornadoes damaged at least 140 buildings and killed 25 people. The toll could increase after completion of rescue operations, which are in progress. The search is on in the rubble of the wrecked buildings. Police and fire crews are trying to locate survivors.
One of the twisters damaged a well-known church in downtown Nashville and left hundreds homeless. After daybreak, the sight of destruction came out. There was litter in the surrounding areas and the debris consisted of the remains of walls and roofs. Uprooted trees damaged cars on the ground and power lines went down disturbing lives. Governor Bill Lee said - “It is heartbreaking. We have had loss of life all across the state.” He advised nonessential state workers not to venture out but remain at home. Later, he carried out an aerial survey of damages.
The Guardian quotes Nashville’s mayor John Cooper as saying - “Last night was a reminder about how fragile life is.” He said this at a news conference.
He has declared a state of emergency for the city. That will make available funds to extend different types of assistance to those affected by the tornadoes. Life came to a virtual standstill because of the disturbance, with the closure of schools, courts, airport etcetera.
Severe storms spawned the tornadoes
The origin of the tornadoes was in a line of severe storms. These stretched from near Montgomery, Alabama, into western Pennsylvania. In Nashville, they destroyed some up and coming localities like Germantown and East Nashville. These are the trendiest neighborhoods chock full of modern amenities like restaurants and music venues. There are also high-end apartment complexes that might ease out the old-timers.
The bell tower of a well-known church was gone, probably blown away. Climatic disturbances of this nature damage the infrastructure and rebuilding them is a long drawn and costly affair. They take everyone by surprise and people have to follow the survival instinct, especially when there are reports of loss of lives and properties.
The Guardian mentions about one of the tornadoes that stayed on the ground for about 10 miles. There was a disruption of electricity to more than 44,000 customers. It affected the capitol building and led to the cancellation of some meetings. Airplane hangars at John C Tune airport suffered damages and had to endure power failure. The authorities advised people to give the airport a wide berth until further notice.
Obviously, the Travel plans of many people went haywire.
Nashville devastated by tornadoes
According to The BBC, the tornadoes that devastated central Tennessee took at least 25 lives. The state's Governor William Lee confirms this. Nashville is the biggest city in the state and the tornadoes struck after midnight and caught the sleeping people unawares. Many of them did not get the time to seek out shelters. In the words of a resident - the scene in Nashville is "like a war zone." Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the injured have been shifted to medical facilities. An official told a section of the media -"It is an ongoing search and rescue right now." In order to accommodate displaced residents, the authorities have opened a shelter.
President Donald Trump indicated his intention to visit the state on Friday.
Tornadoes are unpredictable
There is no system in place to track or predict tornadoes. It is a natural climatic disorder but the Met people can identify conditions that could give rise to severe storms. Subsequently, they can take the help of radar to track the path of thunderstorms that could end up as tornadoes. Last year, tornadoes struck Lee County in Alabama and left 23 dead. Before that, in 2017, the Midwest faced multiple numbers of tornadoes.