Three dead, several injured in Clarksville tornado; curfew implemented

Three people, including one child, are dead as a result of the tornado that touched down in Clarksville Saturday afternoon, Montgomery County government said in a social media post just after 7 p.m.

Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts announced Saturday night that he was placing the city under a state of emergency and instituted a 9 p.m. curfew for the city on both Saturday and Sunday nights.

“This is devastating news and our hearts are broken for the families of those who lost loved ones. The City stands ready to help them in their time of grief,” Pitts said.

Twenty-three others were treated at a hospital for injuries, Montgomery County government said.

"This is a sad day for our community. We are praying for those who are injured, lost loved ones, and lost their homes. This community pulls together like no other and we will be here until the end," Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden said.

Three other deaths were confirmed in Madison in Davidson County after the storms moved through Middle Tennessee Saturday afternoon.

Tornado touched down before 2 p.m.

The tornado touched down north of Clarksville near Tennessee's border with Kentucky at about 1:35 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Clarksville Police Department. Most of the damage from the tornado is concentrated on the north side of town, according to Jimmy Settle, a spokesperson for Pitts.

Multiple structures were destroyed, according to Montgomery County government spokesperson Michelle Newell.

Officials are actively searching homes for people who may be trapped or injured. Clarksville Police, Clarksville Fire Rescue, and Montgomery County EMS are responding to numerous locations in north Clarksville due to extensive damage.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office confirmed damage to several houses in the area of the Hand Estates near Garrettsburg Road.

A shelter has been set up at Northeast High School, 3701 Trenton Road, in Clarksville, Settle said. Mosaic Church is also offering food and shelter.

In nearby Springfield, one person was transported to the hospital for injuries of unknown severity after the storm blew through the south part of town, according to the Robertson County Sheriff's Office.

'Sounded like a train going down some train tracks'

Vincent Welshman was driving home to his wife and kids when he heard the tornado sirens sound off near his mom's house just a few blocks away.

A low howl quickly turned into what "sounded like a train going down some train tracks," he wrote in a message to The Tennessean.

The sky rapidly grew dark — so dark he could not see the tornado.

When the storm lifted, the Garrettsburg Estates neighborhood was shattered.

"My home was not damaged, thank God, but my neighbors and friends were not so lucky," he wrote. "...The message I want to send is to just never take these emergency bulletins lightly that pop up on our phones."

'A day nobody wanted or expected'

Pitts and Golden updated residents in a video posted to Facebook shortly after 5 p.m.

"This is a day nobody wanted or expected, but this is a day where our community shines," Pitts said.

Pitts asked residents to stay home and off the roads to give first responders time and space to respond to emergency calls.

"We know there's extensive damage throughout the communities," Pitts said. "We need to be able to take care of those families so desperately in need of help."

State Rep. Ronnie Glynn, D-Clarksville, said his heart is heavy with the news. He wrote on social media earlier in the day that he "barely made it home with my family" and asked for prayers for Clarksville.

“I’m praying for Clarksville deeply and urgently this evening,” Glynn said. “We will work together to buildour community back.”

Several roads remain closed

The following roads or stretches of road were closed for various reasons as of 7:40 p.m., according to a post from Montgomery County on Facebook:

• Britton Springs Road: Debris

• 1105 Garrettsburg Road: Trees down

• Intersection of Lafayette Road and Purple Heart Parkway: Power lines down

• I-24 westbound near mile marker 1: Overturned tractor-trailer

• Highway 41A northbound at 101st Airborne Division Parkway

• Intersection of Winterset Drive and Millett Drive: Lines down

Power restored to thousands

Utility companies restored power to thousands in and around Montgomery County by 7:30 p.m. Saturday night, although more than 25,000 in the area remain without power.

Clarksville's electric utility, CDE Lightband, reported 13,029 customers without power scattered across the Clarksville area on its outage map at 7:39 p.m. Saturday, about 16% of its customers, down from 18,675 customers without power earlier that afternoon.

Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, another power company serving more rural areas in the affected counties, reported 15,685 customers without power across its coverage area, which includes Cheatham, Robertson, Montgomery, Stewart and Sumner counties, at 7:40 p.m. That was down from 29,577 without power at about at 5:50 p.m. Saturday.

As of 4:05 p.m., Fort Campbell Boulevard was shut down at the intersection of 101st Airborne Division Parkway, and traffic was being diverted onto 101st.

Tornado watch in effect for some counties until 9 p.m.

The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for multiple areas across Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon and evening, including Clarksville, parts of Nashville, Madison, Hendersonville and Gallatin.

A tornado watch is in effect until 9 p.m. for the following counties in Middle Tennessee: Lawrence, Macon, Maury, Rutherford, Smith, Trousdale, Williamson and Wilson. A tornado watch for other parts of the region, including Nashville and Clarksville, lifted at 7 p.m. All previous tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings have also expired.

Authorities advise the community to shelter in place and stay off the roadways, to avoid dangers from downed power lines and debris.

Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible across Middle Tennessee until 11 p.m., according to the National Weather Service, bringing strong to damaging winds and a possibility of large hail.

Storms have the potential of becoming "prolific damaging wind producers," causing tree damage and power outages, according to NWS. Large hail could cause minor roof damage and car damage.

This is a developing story.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Clarksville, Tennessee, tornado: 3 dead, 23 injured, curfew in place