Tennessee tornado updates: Authorities identify all Madison, Clarksville tornado victims

The Tennessean team will provide live updates here as information becomes available. This story is being offered free as a service to the public.

Residents across more than a dozen counties surveyed their losses in shock, counted their blessings and called their insurance companies in the aftermath of what is likely the deadliest December for Middle Tennessee tornadoes on record.

Six people died in Clarksville and Madison, and 83 injured patients were rushed to area hospitals on Saturday.

Ten-year-old Arlan Coty died Saturday after a tornado destroyed his Henry Place Boulevard home in Clarksville. On Sunday, more than 50 people were on hand at his family's home, sifting through rubble and debris as they searched for treasured family mementos. Most of the people helping were from Wyatt Johnson Toyota, where one of the boy's parents, Kyle Burnham, works.

Clarksville police identified the other two victims from Montgomery County as Donna Allen, 59, from Florida; and Stephen Kwaah Hayes, 34, from Clarksville.

In Madison, police identified the victims as Joseph Dalton, 37, Floridema Gabriel Perez, 31, and Perez's son Anthony Elmer Mendez, 2. Authorities say Dalton was inside his mobile home on Nesbitt Lane when the storm rolled it on top of Perez' home, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.

Officials began to tally extensive property losses on Sunday, including thousands of buildings badly damaged by two confirmed tornadoes and an estimated 11 more that the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency has yet to confirm. The tornado in Clarksville was rated an EF-3, while the tornado that hit Madison, Hendersonville and Gallatin had a preliminary EF-2 rating.

Downed trees and power lines were widespread in the wake of the storm. A maple tree crushed a bedroom in Tehlor Buford's East Nashville home but spared the family, who rushed to safety in a back room when they heard the emergency siren.

“It was quiet and then it just hit so fast, it was like 13 seconds,” Buford said.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued a "Level 3" state of emergency declaration for the state of Tennessee as he toured the hardest-hit areas on Sunday.

He called the damage "sad and heartbreaking," but emphasized the Volunteer State's strong support system.

"Everywhere we went, we saw volunteers," Lee said. "Tennesseans that were coming into neighborhoods they didn’t live in and coming alongside people to make sure they were doing all they could to help."

Utility workers have been deployed in-force to restore hundreds of thousands of power outages. Thousands were still without power across the region Monday, but the numbers had dropped significantly as crews continue to work around the clock to restore service.

Churches and the Red Cross opened at least seven emergency shelters across the area, and volunteers registered to help clean up debris, donate blood and bring needed supplies to organizations leading the recovery efforts.

Tennessee Tornadoes recovery: Here's how you can help

Blood drive scheduled for Tuesday in Hendersonville

Blood Assurance is hosting a blood drive in Hendersonville on Tuesday from 12-5 p.m. in the parking lot of Planet Fitness at 393 E. Main St. The group said donors are strongly encouraged to schedule an appointment on Blood Assurance's website.

The group said in an email announcement that there is an "extraordinary need" for O-positive and O-negative blood donors after Blood Assurance shipped additional units to a Nashville area medical facility treating patients with storm-related injuries.

Blood Assurance is also planning a blood drive in Madison for later in the week but has not finalized details yet.

Clarksville police identify victims killed in Saturday's storms

The Clarksville Police Department identified the three victims killed in Saturday's tornado on Monday.

They were 59-year-old Donna Allen, of Florida, 34-year-old Stephen Kwaah Hayes, of Clarksville, and 10-year-old Arlan Coty, of Clarksville. Police said the victims' next of kin have been notified.

Community clean-up day scheduled for Saturday in Hendersonville

There will be a community clean-up day in Hendersonville from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, the city announced Monday afternoon. Efforts will focus on cleaning up debris along Main Street and some of the city's other hardest hit areas.

The Beautiful Hendersonville Committee and United Way of Sumner County are organizing the event. The City of Hendersonville asks that those interested submit a "volunteer availability form" on the United Way's website at this link.

NES provides explanation for fireball caught on camera during storm

A fiery explosion captured on video as a tornado tore through Madison, Tenn. showed the storm's direct impact on a Nashville Electric Service substation, the utility confirmed Monday.

The tornado's path from Davidson County's western boundary to Wilson County also struck another substation in Hendersonville, a 500,000-volt tower operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority and damaged more than 150 poles.

NWS: Clarksville tornado was on the ground for 43 miles

NWS confirmed Monday that the Clarksville tornado, which rated as an EF-3, was on the ground for 43 miles, pushing through Montgomery, Todd, and Logan Counties for over an hour.

Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools closed rest of week

Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools is closing for the remainder of the week following devastating damage caused by an EF-3 tornado Saturday as several buildings in the district remain without power.

Classes will resume Jan. 4 following the district’s winter break to end the first semester before the second semester begins Jan. 8.

The district will offer meals that can be eaten on-site or taken to go for families in need of meals Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. while supplies last.

The pickup sites will include Glenellen Elementary, 825 Needmore Road, Kenwood High School, 251 E. Mountain Road and Northwest High School, 800 Lafayette Road.

Dickson County officials: 53 homes damaged by storm

Officials in Dickson County reported that initial assessments Sunday afternoon showed 53 homes damaged by the storm, with 7 being completely destroyed, 13 sustaining major damage and 25 with minor damage.

All roads were deemed passable.

NWS says Springfield, Dickson tornadoes were EF-2

The Nashville Weather Service confirmed Monday afternoon that the Springfield tornado rated as an EF-2, with maximum wind speed of 120 mph and a 3.23 mile path that spanned 400 yards in width.

Additionally, the tornado in the Cumberland Furnace in Dickson rated as an EF-2, with maximum wind speed of 125 mph. The path measured in at 5.13 miles and a width of 300 yards.

Shelters available across Middle Tennessee after tornadoes

• Clarksville: Northeast High School, 3701 Trenton Road

• Hendersonville: Cornerstone Church, 1410 Stop 30 Road

• Nashville: Madison Community Center, 550 N. Dupont Ave. and Metro's Extreme Cold Weather Overflow Shelter at 3230 Brick Church Pike, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

• Dickson: Dickson YMCA, 225 Hensley Drive

• Springfield: The Center – Community Center, 401 N. Main St.

Clarksville officials: More than 1,000 buildings hit by tornado

Officials in Clarksville have determined that more than 1,000 buildings were hit by the Saturday storms during subsequent damage assessments, according to social media post from Montgomery County government.

Of those buildings, 971 were residential, 42 were commercial and two were public facilities, according to the post. Of the residential sites, 114 have been destroyed, 290 sustained "major damage" and seven were ruled "inaccessible."

"These numbers represent displaced individuals whose lives have been turned upside down. Please continue to pray for them and help as you can," the post said.

Fort Campbell Boulevard in Clarksville closing at 1:30 p.m. Monday

Fort Campbell Boulevard, one of the main thoroughfares in Clarksville, will be closed Monday between 101st Airborne Division Parkway and Lady Marion Drive so the Clarksville Department of Electricity can repair power lines damaged during the Saturday storms, the Clarksville Police Department announced.

Salvation Army serving meals in Madison, Hendersonville

The Salvation Army in Nashville will be serving hot meals, snacks and drinks at multiple locations in Madison and Hendersonville on Monday.

The organization will have meal service in Madison at the corner of Heritage Place and Nesbitt Lane, which was among the hardest-hit areas by Saturday's storms. There will also be a roaming meal service station moving throughout other hard-hit areas.

Meal service in Madison will first be in the Clearview Circle and Hunters Trail area and then the unit will roam other areas hit hard by the storm.

"Sometimes, being able to share your experience with a willing ear over a hot cup of coffee can help lift a weight from your shoulders,” said Philip Canning, incident commander for The Salvation Army in Nashville.

The Salvation Army said it served 330 meals on Sunday.

Thousands in Nashville without power

As of 11 a.m. Monday, about 5,000 Nashville Electric Service customers remain without power, according to the utility.

Testing will continue at Nashville public schools

Benchmark testing is set to continue this week for students across Metro Nashville Public Schools. District spokesperson Sean Braisted provided the following statement in the wake of the tornadoes that struck the region:

"We understand this is a difficult time for many of our students and families, and some may need to miss school or are unable to test at this time. The district benchmark testing window is scheduled from Dec. 6-14 but will be extended for anyone affected by the tornadoes. The assessments are not used for student grades and are meant for teachers and school administrators to understand the student’s mastery of the Q2 content and make adjustments, as needed, to ensure students remain on track."

CDE working around the clock to restore power

With more than 11,000 without power in Clarksville, CDE Lightband is working around the clock with more than 200 extra linemen coming to help restore power to the city after Saturday's tornado.

At its peak, there were more than 20,000 without power, CDE Lightband communications director Lindsey Pease said Monday.

Due to traffic and debris, there is no timetable for power to be restored. Those with medical conditions supported by electricity should seek other arraignments, the utility said.

Pease said 91 homes were completely destroyed during the tornado, and 271 sustained major damage, making them uninhabitable.

She said 339 homes sustained moderate damage and 65 homes sustained minor damage.

Hendersonville in state of emergency following severe weather

Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary has declared a state of emergency to help secure expedited state and federal funding.

Clary estimates the number of businesses with buildings destroyed in Hendersonville is roughly 10 to 20 and the number of businesses affected is between 60-80.

There are about 10-20 homes with significant damage in Hendersonville, while there are around 60-100 homes with damage, Clary said.

Some homes and businesses had power restored overnight, and some, though not all, of the city's traffic lights are operating again, he added.

NES working around the clock to restore power

Nashville Electric Service continues efforts to restore power.

The company said 45,000 customers were without power after two confirmed tornadoes.

More than 38,000 customers have had power restored as of 8 a.m. Monday.

Springfield preparing for debris cleanup

The City of Springfield issued a statement saying it will collect debris from the Dec. 9 tornado on Wednesday and Thursday.

The city is asking residents to place debris along the road, similar to how it collects during brush pickup.

Debris should be placed at the edge of each property, not on sidewalks, ditches or on the street.

Sort debris into piles of brush and non-brush items.

Surveying storms a challenge for National Weather Service

The National Weather Service in Nashville said it plans to have three crews working Monday to survey storm damage and determine the number of tornadoes that carved a path of destruction through Middle Tennessee Saturday.

Two tornadoes have been confirmed so far. The twisters blew through Madison and Clarksville, killing six.

NWS meteorologist Sam Herron told The Tennessean it could take several days for the teams to determine storm paths due to less daylight and traffic issues in the region.

Herron said crews are continuing to assess the Clarksville and Madison storms and will assess paths in Springfield, which Herron called damaging, as well as Stewart County, north of Dover, Dickson County, near Cumberland Furnace, and Cheatham County, near the county line and White Bluff.

Several thousand remain without power Monday

CDE Lightband reports 11,649 customers are without power as of 7 a.m. Monday after severe weather ripped through Middle Tennessee Saturday.

Nashville Electric Service reported 6,415 without power as of 7 a.m. Monday.

Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, which serves parts of Montgomery, Sumner, Robertson, Cheatham and Stewart Counties reported no outages Monday. It serves almost 100,000 customers.

The White House Utility District put out messages Sunday asking customers to voluntarily conserve water due to widespread power disruptions.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee tornado outbreak latest: Authorities ID tornado victims