A STATE of emergency has been declared in Tennessee after a devastating tornado ripped through several cities on Saturday, leaving six dead and over a dozen injured.
The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson released a statement on Sunday morning of the state of emergency notification, officially issued by Mayor Freddie O'Connell.
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O'Connell's declaration was noted as a move to mobilize state and federal resources to help all communities affected in and around the Nashville area, per a post from District 17 Councilmember Terry Vo on X.
The horrifying severe weather moved through Tennessee at around 4 pm on Saturday evening, resulting in significant damage to countless homes and businesses in and around Montgomery and Madison County.
At least 22 structures were confirmed to have collapsed entirely due to the tornado, per comments from Mayor O'Connell at a press conference on Sunday.
In an update on Sunday afternoon, that total was increased to 91 structures destroyed, per the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency.
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Clarksville, located about 50 miles northwest of Nashville, was hit hard by the severe weather as it moved through Tennessee.
With six deaths confirmed in total from the storms, three have been confirmed in Clarksville by the Montgomery County Mayor's office, per The Tennessean.
The other three deaths were reported by the Nashville Office of Emergency Management in Madison, but their names have yet to be released.
They were identified by local ABC affiliate WKRN as Joseph Dalton, 37; Floridema Gabriel Perez, 31; and Perez’s two-year-old son, Anthony Elmer Mendez.
AdvertisementTwo other children - Perez’s 7-year-old son and Dalton’s 10-year-old son - were taken to a nearby hospital.
The families were taking shelter when Dalton's mobile home was swept up by the tornado and flipped onto the Perez residence, per NBC affiliate WSMV.
Officials noted at Sunday's press conference that at least nine people remain in critical condition at local hospitals while over 50 others were treated for injuries sustained by the tornado.
At least 13 of those injured were in Madison when a church collapsed due to the storms on Saturday night.
AdvertisementMontgomery County Mayor Wes Golden said those in Clarksville and the surrounding community were "devastated by the catastrophic event" at Sunday's press conference.
Golden continued to explain that he witnessed neighbors helping neighbors all across the affected areas and held back tears discussing a few former military medics who geared up to help those in need.
Shelters have been set up for those displaced by the storms in Montgomery County and around the Nashville Area.
Officials urged those looking to help to call 931-245-2988.
AdvertisementWITHOUT POWER
At least 27,000 Tennesseans remain without power as well, according to data from the Nashville Electric Service (NES) outage map.
The NES released a statement late Saturday night that noted at one point at least 39,000 were without power in the area amid the destruction from the tornado.
"At Nashville Electric Service, we are saddened by the loss and devastation caused by today’s deadly storms and are committed to help the Nashville region recover," the company wrote on its Facebook page.
"At this hour, NES crews continue to assess damage across the entire service area. Currently, there are about 39,000 customers without power."
AdvertisementThe company added: "We know the North and Hendersonville substations were significantly damaged, and we have support crews on site to determine the extent of repairs needed and to develop restoration plans."
"NES is taking extra precautions to keep crews safe while continuing to work 24/7 until all power is restored, and additional crews have been called in."
Other companies, like Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, CDE Lightband, and Middle Tennessee Electric, noted outages.
Cumberland listed 83 on Sunday morning, with Electric Membership Corporation recording 13,176, and Middle Tennessee Electric seemingly resolved its outage issues, WKRN reported.
AdvertisementWEATHER WARNING
Middle Tennessee wasn't the only state affected by severe weather on Saturday.
Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky were affected and reported damage and injuries through multiple twisters, per Daily Mail.
A flood watch was also issued for more than 56 million US residents on the east coast due to severe weather patterns expected on Sunday and into Monday.
The flood watch affects states ranging from Maryland to Maine.
AdvertisementTwo to four inches of rainfall is predicted over Sunday evening.
New York, Massachusetts, and Maine are also supposed to experience high winds.
New York City is under a high wind watch, marking the first time in about three years a similar alert was issued.
All of the alerts and advisories related to a weather system in the United States moving through with abnormally warm temperatures.
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