Clarksville tornado: TikTok captures family praying as storm rages, aftermath

Joyce Orlando, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read
Fort Campbell military personnel and neighbors pull a trailer out from the rubble of Christina Litchfield’s destroyed home on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, in Clarksville, Tenn. As the South gets more tornadoes, experts worry about the quality of construction and are urging communities to build homes to tougher standards.

As storms encroached on communities in Middle Tennessee Saturday, social media posts soon followed. But even as conditions got worse cameras kept rolling, capturing the moments as tornadoes tore through.

A Clarksville family posted a TikTok as a tornado blew outside. In the TikTok post user airbornezaddy wrote that the family was hiding in a bathroom as the storms raged outside. The minute-long clip is dark, but a man's voice can be heard offering reassurance to at least one child that could be heard.

A woman's voice comes on, praying for the safety of her family as the sound of wind howls in the background.

"Honestly, my wife('s) prayers are the only thing that kept our house together in my opinion. Behind every strong man is a stronger woman," wrote the user.

The TikTok account posted multiple clips ahead of the storms descending on Clarksville and more in the aftermath of the tornado.

Clarksville tornado: Path, windspeeds

The Clarksville tornado was the strongest so far of the reported 13 tornadoes that hit Middle Tennessee.

The tornado rated an EF-3, with 150-mph peak wind speeds. It traveled 43 miles from Tennessee into Logan County, Kentucky. The path width of the tornado reached 600 yards.

Before touching down, airbornezaddy caught the funnel cloud in the sky.

"Weren't taking it serious at first, not until I saw someone's roof fly off," the post read.

This tornado turned out to be the deadliest that struck the area on Saturday. It killed three people and injured 62, the NWS reported.

Donna Allen, 59, from Florida, Stephen Kwaah Hayes, 34, from Clarksville and  10-year-old Arlan Coty, were killed.

Paths of tornadoes: Where did tornadoes hit in Tennessee? See the tornado paths in Clarksville and more

Other TikToks surface as tornado hits Clarksville

Recovering after deadly Tennessee tornadoes

Along with the Clarksville tornado, three others have been rated by the National Weather Service.

Now, communities are left with the task of cleaning up and recovering from the tornadoes. Thousands were still without power Tuesday morning and others are sifting through the rubble that is left behind.

Different organizations are working to help keep people fed and to find volunteers to help in clean-up.

If you need help, there are services available to you. You can find an ongoing list here.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Clarksville tornado TikToks: Family prays as storm rages, aftermath