'People coming together' in wake of tornado damage

Jay Powell, The Daily Herald
·4 min read

Several communities are still recovering from the effects of Friday night's storms, which brought damaging winds, tornadoes and extensive rainfall, leaving countless amounts of wreckage in its wake from West Tennessee to Middle Tennessee.

The National Weather Service reported that Lewis County received a large brunt of the damage, recording an EF2 tornado with a width of nearly half a mile and winds up to 130 mph.

No injuries or deaths were reported. Emergency warnings had allowed residents enough time to find safety, officials said.

Melissa Keller pets her dog, shadow, as she looks around her destroyed property following a tornado in Hohenwald, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023.
Melissa Keller pets her dog, shadow, as she looks around her destroyed property following a tornado in Hohenwald, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023.

Melissa Keller, Lewis County resident said she ran to her bathroom to hide as the gusts of wind grew into the sound of a train barreling down on the community where she's lived with her family for nearly 50 years. Although there's damage, her home is still standing.

Lewis County is in southcentral Middle Tennessee with its county seat in Hohenwald. Officials reported about 10 homes lost there early Saturday. Many more were damaged.

"It destroyed my sister’s house out on that peak," Keller said. "They just built it last year."

Melissa Keller points to a shed that was pushed 15 feet by a tornado early in the morning in Hohenwald, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023.
Melissa Keller points to a shed that was pushed 15 feet by a tornado early in the morning in Hohenwald, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023.

In McNairy County in West Tennessee, a more violent tornado claimed at least nine lives, destroying at least 72 houses. Four of the fatalities were in the same structure in the Rose Creek area, said McNairy County Mayor Larry Smith. Three storm cells hit McNairy County Friday night, taking almost exactly the same path, causing damage to 35-40% of the county, officials said Saturday.

Readyville in Cannon County just over the Rutherford County also experienced widespread damage, where residents and historic structures were destroyed, including beloved Russell's Market, where customers could grab a book and a bolongna sandwich.

Middle TN tornado: 'Never seen nothing like this': Middle TN communities devastated after tornado, storms

Will Dunnebacke, a lineman with Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative, pulls a power line away from trees as another lineman works on an electric pole following a tornado in Hohenwald, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023.
Will Dunnebacke, a lineman with Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative, pulls a power line away from trees as another lineman works on an electric pole following a tornado in Hohenwald, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023.

Marshall County Emergency Management Deputy Director Kevin Calahan said the tornado swept along a nearly four-mile path, leaving many homes, commercial buildings and trees damaged, much of which were completely destroyed.

"The tornado set down on Egypt Road, and we tracked the damages to about a 3.9-mile track, literally going outside of our county line into Rutherford County," Calahan said. "We had barns and out buildings, eight of which were totally destroyed, six damaged. We had two commercial buildings damaged, eight houses damaged and two that were pretty much destroyed."

Additional damages included five rail cars, of which Calahan said the wind "pretty much picked them up off the tracks and threw them off to the side of the railroad, and that was along U.S. Highway 31."

Jacob Odom walks by his house that was destroyed early in the morning in Hohenwald, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023. Odom and his family went to stay at a relatives house when they lost power in anticipation that something bad was going to happen.
Jacob Odom walks by his house that was destroyed early in the morning in Hohenwald, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023. Odom and his family went to stay at a relatives house when they lost power in anticipation that something bad was going to happen.

This was also the second tornado reported in the area this year, the first occurring in Lawrence County in February. However, a tornado and damages of this magnitude had not been reported since the 1970s, Calahan said.

"We're having to go back to the 1970s to find one that had a pretty long track," Calahan said. "The EF2 that set down earlier this year, thankfully did not destroy many homes and kind of hid out in a wooded area. There were some things torn up, barns and trees, but this has been a really active weather period for us so far."

Ethridge tornado: Lawrence Co., Ethridge residents thankful damage from 2 EF-0 tornadoes wasn't worse

In addition to cleanup efforts conducted over the weekend, American Red Cross has also reached out to the effected residents and property owners to assist.

Insulation and siding sit in the path of where the tornado passed through Grinders Creek, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023.
Insulation and siding sit in the path of where the tornado passed through Grinders Creek, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023.

"Thankfully, no injuries or fatalities and everyone was okay," Calahan said. "We had one lady in one of the homes that was destroyed, but she made it out OK."

In the wake of the storms, as the damage was being assessed and cleanup efforts began to clear the streets, yards and other properties, many volunteers, nonprofit groups and neighbors pitched in to help those with damaged homes.

Lewis County mayor: Neighbor helping neighbor

Lewis County Mayor Jonah Keltner said the response from the community has been inspiring, seeing neighbor help neighbor in any way they can.

"Our community has been fantastic, I rode around the morning after and there were neighbors out helping their fellow neighbor pick up sticks in the yard, clear out the driveway, a lot of debris getting cleaned up," Keltner said. "There were also a few logging companies and local businesses who stepped up and weren't charging folks to help clear up the roads."

The inside of the Odom's home in Hohenwald, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023. The Odoms were not home when the tornado struck their home however, both bedrooms were completely destroyed.
The inside of the Odom's home in Hohenwald, Tenn. on Mar. 31, 2023. The Odoms were not home when the tornado struck their home however, both bedrooms were completely destroyed.

Keltner added that he is also receiving calls from surrounding counties and first responders offering work crews to continue the cleanup efforts.

"Perry County has reached out to help out, which is good teamwork we're seeing not just here, but with our surrounding counties," Keltner said. "We really appreciate how so many people have come together during times of trouble."

Sandy Mazza and Liam Kennedy contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: 'It's great to see people coming together' in wake of tornado damage