Tennessee Governor Declares State of Emergency After Multiple Tornadoes

Severe weather and tornadoes have impacted several counties in Tennessee, leaving behind multiple deaths and severe damage in Nashville.

Governor Bill Lee has declared a state of emergency after the tornadoes ripped through at least three counties, including Davidson, Wilson, and Putnam Counties, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

As of a report from TEMA at 11:21 am CST this morning, the Tennessee Department of Health had 22 confirmed fatalities: 16 fatalities in Putnam County; 3 fatalities in Wilson County; 2 fatalities in Davidson County; 1 fatality in Benton County.

Tennessee Department of Health is coordinating with local partners to provide resources.

TEMA said the number of injuries is unknown. Four shelters have been opened in the state.

At least 73,000 people were without power: Davidson County is reporting approximately 48,000 without power; Wilson County is reporting approximately 17,000 without power; Upper Cumberland (Putnam County and Jackson County) is reporting approximately 8,000 without power

“The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency has activated the Tennessee Emergency Management Plan (TEMP) with an all-hands response from state emergency officials and activation of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC),” TEMA said in a statement this morning.

A line of severe storms passed through the state on March 2 and overnight into March 3, causing major damage to buildings, roads, bridges, utilities and businesses in several counties. Tornado damage has been reported throughout West and Middle Tennessee including downtown Nashville.

The exact extent of damage is also unknown, TEMA said.

Emergency Service Coordinators and liaisons with numerous state and local partners and non-governmental organizations are reporting to the SEOC to coordinate response actions and damage assessments.

Due to severe weather, state offices will be closed in the following counties: Davidson, Wilson, Putnam, Carroll, Benton, Fentress, Overton, and Smith. If able, employees should follow AWS procedures to assure the state continues to service its citizens. At this time, only essential personnel should report to duty.

The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance tweeted that it had set up three mobile claims centers in Nashville and had staff on site responding to claims. Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Hodgen Mainda urged residents to use caution before hiring a contractor for any repair work.

“We as a state have taken a collaborative approach and combined efforts with other agencies to respond to the storms, tornadoes, that came through,” Mainda said in a video on TDCI’s Twitter page. “Thousands of people have been affected by the tornadoes.”

This is a developing story…