Tornado that hit east of Nashville was EF4 twister packing 175-mph winds

Dozens dead and dozens more missing after an outbreak spawned one tornado that stayed on the ground for 50 miles. A day after the deadliest tornado day in seven years, Tennessee remains in a state of emergency as residents throughout the state, particularly in Nashville, can only band together and pick up the pieces.

Severe weather erupted in Tennessee early Tuesday morning, spawning hail, damaging winds and a very dangerous tornado in Nashville along with other twisters throughout the state. The disaster caused widespread damage, many injuries, and at least 24 fatalities. As of Wednesday morning, 38 others are still unaccounted for.

Power still remains out for nearly 33,000 customers as of Wednesday evening, according to PowerOutage.us.

The last time a monstrous tornado killed as many people was on May 20, 2013, when an EF5 strength twister claimed 24 lives in Moore, Oklahoma.

In Putnam County, a tornado damaged over 100 structures and killed at least 18, including children. Out of the 18 dead, all have identified except for one person who is reportedly a white female between 30 to 35 with dark curly hair and approximately 5 feet and 8 inches tall, officials report.

The NWS Nashville reported EF4 damage of 175 mph winds in Putnam County. This was the first violent tornado in the Nashville area in 11 years.

At one point on Tuesday night, 77 people were unaccounted for, according to County Mayor Randy Porter. Per WBIR, Porter called it the largest natural disaster in the county's modern recorded history.

Tennessee has seen six EF4 and 12 EF3 tornadoes in March since 1950, though none have been near Nashville, based on AccuWeather analysis of Storm Prediction Center (SPC) data.

NWS survey teams have concluded that one long-track tornado occurred in Davidson, Wilson, and Smith Counties.

The path of this tornado stretched roughly 50.25 miles from beginning to end, starting near the John Tune Airport, which is in the western part of Nashville and ending 3.50 miles west of Gordonsville.

According to the preliminary damage survey results from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Nashville, both Wilson County and Davidson County saw at least EF3 likely winds and damage.

The NWS reported that their storm surveys show EF2 storm damage in Germantown/North Nashville and EF3 storm damage in East Nashville/Five Points, Donelson and Mt. Juliet.

The office said the damage in those neighborhoods could possibly have come from the same tornado.

Storm surveys show EF1 tornado damage occurred in the Bradford, Tennessee area on with estimated wind speeds around 95 mph, according to the NWS Memphis.

"Our hearts are full of sorrow for the lives that were lost," President Trump said in a news conference on Tuesday.

President Trump said he is going to visit Tennessee on Friday.

"Nashville is hurting, and our community has been devastated," Nashville Mayor John Cooper said on Twitter. "My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones. Be sure to lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need, and let's come together as a community once more. Together, we will get through this and come out stronger."

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee called the devastation 'heartbreaking' and lamented the loss of life 'all across the state.'

"This is the saddest, most destructive day in Cookeville, Putnam County history," Mayor Ricky Shelton said.

Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said the Titans franchise will help those in need in a statement released on Tuesday, according to the NFL.

"We know the strength of our community and the Volunteer spirit that lives in us all. We will join the efforts to re-build in these areas and know our neighbors will join us," Strunk said in the statement.

Country Singer Carrie Underwood told the Today Show in an interview her husband and children took shelter during the severe weather.

"I'm like texting people I know, and I'm asking my husband if everybody's good," Underwood said. "He said he had to go upstairs at like 2 a.m. and grab the boys and take them down to a little safe room in our house."

Other Nashville residents were so close to the tornado that they could hear what sounded like a train or a roar.

"I heard that roar. When I heard that roar I knew it was not good," storm victim Jennifer Ryan said.

Workers from Uncle Bud's Catfish didn't want their food to spoil after they lost power, so they decided to help their community.

"The tornadoes hit right next to one of our restaurants, [we] came in with no power so we loaded up our trailers with our food and thought we'd go out and find a place to feed some people," Craig Dever from Uncle Bud's Catfish told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Waddell.

Teresitta Jones, a victim of the storms, told Waddell that the community's togetherness is invaluable in this time of need.

"Great people that will help you in a time of need," Jones said outside of the restaurant. "It always works out. Whatever you put good into the universe. You get back out good into the universe."

The time of the tornado touching down in Nashville can be seen on radar, indicated by the hook shape northeast of the city. Of the most devastated areas of Nashville, on Main Street, was previously struck by tornadoes in 1933 and 1998.

According to the Associated Press, at least 40 buildings were destroyed and many others were damaged. Just hours before voting for Super Tuesday was set to begin in the state, four polling stations were moved because of the damage as well as closures to schools and courts.

In Nashville and Wilson County, Super Tuesday voting started one hour late due to the extensive damage, according to The Tennesseean. Officials in several areas told voters that they would need to vote elsewhere because some of the original polling locations were damaged or without power.

Rather than closing the polls at 7 p.m. around the state, polls stayed open until at least 8 p.m. in most locations and until 10 p.m. in five locations after requests from numerous presidential candidates.

One of the damaged venues in East Nashville was the Basement East nightclub. According to the Tennessean, a benefit concert being held at the venue for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders had only ended several hours prior to the twister.

Staff with the venue confirmed on Facebook that the building was destroyed but all employees were safe.

The NWS issued a tornado warning for Nashville and adjacent areas around 12:15 a.m. CDT Tuesday.

Despite the tornado tearing through the city at night, the lights from the city were able to light up the sky enough such that footage of the tornado was captured quite clearly. From footage that was gathered, the tornado appeared to be quite large, although storm surveys will be conducted on Tuesday to determine the official intensity of the storm.

Multiple homes and buildings were destroyed, and police in Mount Juliet reported that multiple injuries were being blamed on the tornado, according to NBC News.

The Nashville Fire Department reported that they were responding to 40 structure collapses around the city and advised people to avoid debris. The fire department also said its Urban Search and Rescue team was out searching collapsed structures for anyone trapped or injured.

Around 3:30 a.m., the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) reported that the tornado claimed the lives of two individuals from East Nashville.

The MNPD also reported that several emergency shelters had been opened for victims of the storm and that Nashville's Emergency Operations Center had been opened. Metro Schools closed their district's schools for Tuesday because of the damage left in the Nashville area from the tornado.

Several locations reported having downed power lines and trees that were blocking the roadways. Nashville Electric confirmed that their crews were out early on Tuesday morning assessing damage. As of 7 a.m., local time, more than 47,000 customers were without power.

At the Nashville Farmers Market, where Cooper and other state officials were gathering for an emergency shelter center, power went out around 5:20 a.m. The Tennessee Highway Patrol also shared that electrical lines are down across Interstate 40, shutting down the roadway.

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According to a tweet from Nashville International Airport, initial reports were that several hangars at the West Nashville airport, John C. Tune Airport, had sustained significant damage. Nashville International Airport itself remains fully operational, with flights going on as scheduled.

A gas leak in the Germantown community of Nashville forced an evacuation just after the tornado hit the area, according to Fox8 News.

Farther south, tornado watches were in effect across central Alabama. This area included Selma, Montgomery and Union Springs, Alabama. The watch was in effect until 11 a.m. local time.

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