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| Tennessee Tornado Live Updates: Nashville Hit and 22 Killed Across State | Tennessee Tornado Live Updates: Nashville Hit and 22 Killed Across State |
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| NASHVILLE — A powerful storm early Tuesday spawned tornadoes that ripped through Tennessee, killing at least 22 people and creating a trail of devastation that struck Nashville and stretched across several counties in the central part of the state. | NASHVILLE — A powerful storm early Tuesday spawned tornadoes that ripped through Tennessee, killing at least 22 people and creating a trail of devastation that struck Nashville and stretched across several counties in the central part of the state. |
| Officials said the full extent of the storm’s wrath remained impossible to grasp, as the death toll climbed and an untold number of people were unaccounted for as of Tuesday morning. At least 16 fatalities were reported in Putnam County, roughly 80 miles east of Nashville, and deaths were also reported in Davidson, Benton and Wilson Counties. | Officials said the full extent of the storm’s wrath remained impossible to grasp, as the death toll climbed and an untold number of people were unaccounted for as of Tuesday morning. At least 16 fatalities were reported in Putnam County, roughly 80 miles east of Nashville, and deaths were also reported in Davidson, Benton and Wilson Counties. |
| In Nashville, the police said a man and a woman had died after being struck by debris in East Nashville, an area of the city that had been among the hardest hit. | In Nashville, the police said a man and a woman had died after being struck by debris in East Nashville, an area of the city that had been among the hardest hit. |
| “We have much to know and much to learn in the hours ahead,” Gov. Bill Lee told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday morning. Asked if he knew how many people were missing, he replied, “We don’t know that yet. Reports are just coming in. It’s still early yet.” | “We have much to know and much to learn in the hours ahead,” Gov. Bill Lee told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday morning. Asked if he knew how many people were missing, he replied, “We don’t know that yet. Reports are just coming in. It’s still early yet.” |
| The tornadoes cut a path through the middle of Tennessee in the early morning hours on Tuesday. A line of severe storms moved through the region starting on Monday, and late in the day, the National Weather Service urged people to take cover as forecasters warned of severe thunderstorms and the potential for tornadoes. | The tornadoes cut a path through the middle of Tennessee in the early morning hours on Tuesday. A line of severe storms moved through the region starting on Monday, and late in the day, the National Weather Service urged people to take cover as forecasters warned of severe thunderstorms and the potential for tornadoes. |
| In Nashville alone, the authorities reported that at least 48 structures had either partially or completely collapsed. “It is a massive act of nature,” John Cooper, Nashville’s mayor, said at a briefing on Tuesday morning. | In Nashville alone, the authorities reported that at least 48 structures had either partially or completely collapsed. “It is a massive act of nature,” John Cooper, Nashville’s mayor, said at a briefing on Tuesday morning. |
| Officials warned that the number of confirmed fatalities could rise, as officials were still working to get a handle on the reach of the devastation and emergency workers continued to search through the rubble of damaged buildings. Police officers were going house to house in some areas, and road crews were clearing streets and dangerous electrical debris. | Officials warned that the number of confirmed fatalities could rise, as officials were still working to get a handle on the reach of the devastation and emergency workers continued to search through the rubble of damaged buildings. Police officers were going house to house in some areas, and road crews were clearing streets and dangerous electrical debris. |
| “It’s not looking good right now. We still have several people missing, a lot of loved ones calling in wanting us to locate their family,” Sheriff Eddie Farris of Putnam County told a local news station, WKRN. “We certainly hope that number doesn’t go up, but it’s not looking real promising at this point.” | “It’s not looking good right now. We still have several people missing, a lot of loved ones calling in wanting us to locate their family,” Sheriff Eddie Farris of Putnam County told a local news station, WKRN. “We certainly hope that number doesn’t go up, but it’s not looking real promising at this point.” |
| In Nashville, fire officials said that more than 400 emergency calls had been made in the hours since the tornado touched down. Much of the damage in the city was concentrated in the Germantown neighborhood, which is north of downtown, and in East Nashville, including considerable devastation in the popular Five Points area. Photographs and videos spread on social media showing buildings that had been shredded and streets strewn with debris. | In Nashville, fire officials said that more than 400 emergency calls had been made in the hours since the tornado touched down. Much of the damage in the city was concentrated in the Germantown neighborhood, which is north of downtown, and in East Nashville, including considerable devastation in the popular Five Points area. Photographs and videos spread on social media showing buildings that had been shredded and streets strewn with debris. |
| Residents reported homes with roofs that had been stripped off and windows that had been blown out. The John C. Tune Airport, six miles west of downtown, sustained significant damage, with several hangars destroyed and power lines down, but none was reported at Nashville International Airport. | Residents reported homes with roofs that had been stripped off and windows that had been blown out. The John C. Tune Airport, six miles west of downtown, sustained significant damage, with several hangars destroyed and power lines down, but none was reported at Nashville International Airport. |
| On one local television newscast, an anchor showed viewers side-by-side photographs of streets lined with popular restaurants, hangouts and murals alongside the rubble that had taken their place. | On one local television newscast, an anchor showed viewers side-by-side photographs of streets lined with popular restaurants, hangouts and murals alongside the rubble that had taken their place. |
| The Basement East, a popular music venue, was severely damaged, and the roof appeared to have blown off. “All staff working tonight are okay!” the venue said on its Twitter account. “Building sustained significant damage.” | The Basement East, a popular music venue, was severely damaged, and the roof appeared to have blown off. “All staff working tonight are okay!” the venue said on its Twitter account. “Building sustained significant damage.” |
| Nearby, Attaboy, a bar near the Basement East that was popular with restaurant employees, was also flattened. | |
| At the briefing on Tuesday, Mr. Cooper pointed out one auto parts store that had been decimated, which he saw as a sign of the tornado’s raw strength. “There was no stopping that,” he told reporters. “That just came out of the sky.” | At the briefing on Tuesday, Mr. Cooper pointed out one auto parts store that had been decimated, which he saw as a sign of the tornado’s raw strength. “There was no stopping that,” he told reporters. “That just came out of the sky.” |
| The police in Mount Juliet, an eastern suburb of Nashville, said on Twitter that several people in the city had been injured and several residences had been destroyed, and they urged residents to stay home. | The police in Mount Juliet, an eastern suburb of Nashville, said on Twitter that several people in the city had been injured and several residences had been destroyed, and they urged residents to stay home. |
| In Benton County, about 100 miles west of Nashville, at least three fatalities had been reported and officials were out assessing the toll. “Power lines and roads down and of course electric was out but much of that cleared and restored very timely,” Brett Lashlee, the county’s mayor, said in an email. “More to come as we tour areas.” | In Benton County, about 100 miles west of Nashville, at least three fatalities had been reported and officials were out assessing the toll. “Power lines and roads down and of course electric was out but much of that cleared and restored very timely,” Brett Lashlee, the county’s mayor, said in an email. “More to come as we tour areas.” |
| Officials urged residents to stay home if they could, noting the dangers posed by debris and downed electrical lines. Schools in Nashville and elsewhere were closed on Tuesday. Nashville Electric Service is currently working to restore power to more than 47,000 customers. | Officials urged residents to stay home if they could, noting the dangers posed by debris and downed electrical lines. Schools in Nashville and elsewhere were closed on Tuesday. Nashville Electric Service is currently working to restore power to more than 47,000 customers. |
| Pat Isbey and his wife had just a few seconds before everything imploded. | |
| “I was watching it out the window, and the front window implodes, and I realized it was getting bad real quick,” said Mr. Isbey, who co-owns Various Artists brewery and restaurant. His East Nashville home on Holly Street was built in 1983 and is just a few steps away from bars in the popular Five Points area. | |
| “It sounded like the typical train,” he said. “I saw people running from the bars to their cars.” | |
| Mr. Isbey and his wife headed for their basement, but the entrance was blocked by “something heavy.” | |
| “So we grabbed our 8-year-old son and covered him in blankets,” he said. “We tried to get to the center of the house, but stuff was just coming in.” | |
| He then tallied the damage: “I lost three out of four chimneys. Almost all of the windows are broken out, including storm windows and interior. The back porch is pulled off the house. Two trees are downed in my backyard. Both cars are damaged, one of them totaled. That’s a lot to happen in less than 40 seconds.” | |
| Nearby, Annakate and Andrew Ross were on the upper flow of their home when they heard the tornado’s approach. As they scrambled downstairs with their daughters to a crawl space, the tremendous wind ripped off a side of their house. A neighbor’s garage apartment was knocked off its foundation, throwing the resident into the Rosses’ backyard, where the man scrambled through what remained of their back porch and into their home. | |
| The tornado left some of its biggest messes and heartache in North Nashville and into nearby Germantown, a neighborhood of quaint cottages established in the 1850s by European immigrants. Old storefronts had been ripped apart, with big red spilling piles of bricks in heaps. A second-floor kitchen in an apartment over a storefront was exposed to the blue sky Tuesday morning, with dusty wine bottles visible near a stainless steel stove. Felled trees and snapped power poles were everywhere. | |
| The rebuilding work had begun early in the morning. Crews and volunteers cleared debris and handed out water. Trucks carrying workers arrived. The whine of chain saws was everywhere. | |
| With gentrification, the neighborhoods became a mash of income brackets. In a smart first-floor condo, Stephen Gill, 33, a financial analyst, and his boyfriend, Michael Overby, 35, a clinical research associate, busily swept up the debris and glass and junk that was scattered around. | |
| This was a friend’s place, they said — he was out of town in Canada. After the tornado came, Mr. Gill and Mr. Overby, whose place was spared, walked over and saw that the windows of their friend’s place were smashed in. So they crawled through one of the windows and got to work. | |
| “We’re just trying to get it ready,” Mr. Gill said, “so he doesn’t come home to a total disaster.” | |
| Dawn Cornelius stood on a battered street in North Nashville, looking at Mt. Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, where she had spent many Sunday mornings as a child. The tornado had torn off much of the roof and then the rain came. It was a mess in there, she said. A handsome newer building behind the old brick church had been violently ripped open as if giant greedy hands had unwrapped a gift. | |
| Ms. Cornelius, 47, held a shard of the old church sign. A friend came in for a hug. | |
| “This is scary for me,” she said. | |
| Members of her African-American family had settled in North Nashville beginning in the 1950s, as white flight was beginning. They settled in and built a community. | |
| Churches like Mt. Bethel served as corner anchors. Many of them were ravaged now. A few years ago, as Nashville got trendy, new houses and condos went up everywhere, and a new, cool, young, and largely white contingent of neighbors came in. Developers started putting up the tall narrow space-maximizing houses on little lots that Nashvillians have taken to calling “skinnies.” | |
| Ms. Cornelius lives in another neighborhood these days, but these streets still felt like home. In some cases, the homes had made it through with minimal damage. But many new places, some of them without the siding even on yet, and old cottages had been torn up and ripped apart. It was the old places, with the old neighbors, she worried about. | |
| She saw it happen in 1998, she said, with the tornado that ripped up East Nashville. “It ushered in the hipster movement there,” said Ms. Cornelius, who works with the chamber of commerce. She said she had nothing against new white neighbors in places like this one. What she worried about was black families losing toehold on the middle class dream here. “Marginalized communities are not going to be able to rebuild,” she said. | |
| President Trump said that he would visit the Nashville area on Friday, adding that he was working with state officials and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was already on the ground. | President Trump said that he would visit the Nashville area on Friday, adding that he was working with state officials and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was already on the ground. |
| “Our hearts are full of sorrow for the lives that were lost,” he said, speaking at a conference for the National Association of Counties in Washington. “It’s a vicious thing, those tornadoes. I’ve seen many of them during a three-year period and I’ve gotten to see the results and they are vicious if you are in their path.” | “Our hearts are full of sorrow for the lives that were lost,” he said, speaking at a conference for the National Association of Counties in Washington. “It’s a vicious thing, those tornadoes. I’ve seen many of them during a three-year period and I’ve gotten to see the results and they are vicious if you are in their path.” |
| “We will get there, and we will recover, and we will rebuild, and we will help them,” he added. | “We will get there, and we will recover, and we will rebuild, and we will help them,” he added. |
| They were shared on social media by stunned residents, weather forecasters and local news reporters. | They were shared on social media by stunned residents, weather forecasters and local news reporters. |
| Sam Shamburger, the lead forecaster at National Weather Service Nashville, shared a video of the tornado passing near the downtown area, stirring up debris amid bursts of lightning. | Sam Shamburger, the lead forecaster at National Weather Service Nashville, shared a video of the tornado passing near the downtown area, stirring up debris amid bursts of lightning. |
| After sunrise, the scale of the tornado’s devastation became clearer, and the police shared aerial pictures of homes and businesses utterly demolished by the storm. | After sunrise, the scale of the tornado’s devastation became clearer, and the police shared aerial pictures of homes and businesses utterly demolished by the storm. |
| The John C. Tune Airport had debris scattered on the runways and surrounding fields. The former Tennessee State Prison, a 122-year-old building that is no longer used to incarcerate people and was a filming location for “The Green Mile,” was also damaged. | The John C. Tune Airport had debris scattered on the runways and surrounding fields. The former Tennessee State Prison, a 122-year-old building that is no longer used to incarcerate people and was a filming location for “The Green Mile,” was also damaged. |
| Tennessee is one of the 14 states voting on Super Tuesday. Election officials said that the start of voting in Wilson and Davidson Counties, which includes Nashville, had been pushed back an hour because of street closures, power outages and damage to polling locations. | Tennessee is one of the 14 states voting on Super Tuesday. Election officials said that the start of voting in Wilson and Davidson Counties, which includes Nashville, had been pushed back an hour because of street closures, power outages and damage to polling locations. |
| “Working with election officials around the state to ensure polls in affected counties are open for the required 10 hours today,” Tennessee’s secretary of state, Tre Hargett, said in a post on Twitter on Tuesday morning, adding later, “I know this pales by comparison to what many are dealing with this am. Big thank you to our election officials who are working through some difficult circumstances today.” | “Working with election officials around the state to ensure polls in affected counties are open for the required 10 hours today,” Tennessee’s secretary of state, Tre Hargett, said in a post on Twitter on Tuesday morning, adding later, “I know this pales by comparison to what many are dealing with this am. Big thank you to our election officials who are working through some difficult circumstances today.” |
| Tennessee has been struck by tornadoes during this time of the year again and again going back decades. | Tennessee has been struck by tornadoes during this time of the year again and again going back decades. |
| One of the deadliest came on March 14, 1933, when 11 people were killed and parts of East Nashville were virtually leveled by the tornado. | One of the deadliest came on March 14, 1933, when 11 people were killed and parts of East Nashville were virtually leveled by the tornado. |
| And on April 16, 1998, an outbreak of about a dozen tornadoes swept through Middle Tennessee. It was an extraordinary event, according to meteorologists, as it included multiple powerful and violent tornadoes that traveled considerable distances and because the spree stretched on for nearly an entire day. In all, the tornadoes then killed four people and injured nearly 100; it also hit Downtown Nashville, blowing out windows from skyscrapers and knocking down some older buildings. | And on April 16, 1998, an outbreak of about a dozen tornadoes swept through Middle Tennessee. It was an extraordinary event, according to meteorologists, as it included multiple powerful and violent tornadoes that traveled considerable distances and because the spree stretched on for nearly an entire day. In all, the tornadoes then killed four people and injured nearly 100; it also hit Downtown Nashville, blowing out windows from skyscrapers and knocking down some older buildings. |
| The storm devastated East Nashville, damaging or destroying many homes. The event was widely regarded as a spark in the revitalization in the area. It became one of Nashville’s hipper neighborhoods, with new development and trendy restaurants and hangouts, including those seriously damaged by the most recent tornadoes. | The storm devastated East Nashville, damaging or destroying many homes. The event was widely regarded as a spark in the revitalization in the area. It became one of Nashville’s hipper neighborhoods, with new development and trendy restaurants and hangouts, including those seriously damaged by the most recent tornadoes. |
| On Tuesday, Bo Mitchell, a state legislator, walked through the damage created by the most recent storm carrying a gas can. Mr. Mitchell’s Nashville district in the General Assembly does not include the neighborhood, but he was there helping a friend wielding a chain saw. | On Tuesday, Bo Mitchell, a state legislator, walked through the damage created by the most recent storm carrying a gas can. Mr. Mitchell’s Nashville district in the General Assembly does not include the neighborhood, but he was there helping a friend wielding a chain saw. |
| Mr. Mitchell, a Democrat, said he remembered one of the previous outbreaks vividly. “I met my wife in the ’98 storm,” he said. | Mr. Mitchell, a Democrat, said he remembered one of the previous outbreaks vividly. “I met my wife in the ’98 storm,” he said. |
| And in 2008, 55 people were killed by an outbreak of tornadoes that swept through five southern states, including Tennessee, where 31 people died. The outbreak, on Feb. 7, 2008, also coincided with the Super Tuesday primaries during that presidential election year. | And in 2008, 55 people were killed by an outbreak of tornadoes that swept through five southern states, including Tennessee, where 31 people died. The outbreak, on Feb. 7, 2008, also coincided with the Super Tuesday primaries during that presidential election year. |
| “The wrath of God is the only way I can describe it,” Phil Bredesen, the governor of Tennessee at the time, said just after he surveyed the toll from a helicopter. “I’m used to seeing roofs off houses, houses blown over. These houses were down to their foundations, stripped clean.” | |
| Richard Fausset and Steve Cavendish reported from Nashville, and Rick Rojas from Atlanta. Elian Peltier contributed reporting from London, and Maria Cramer, Johnny Diaz and Jacey Fortin from New York. | |