LAWRENCEBURG, Tenn. -- A powerful line of thunderstorms tracked across central Tennessee on Friday, damaging dozens of homes and buildings and injuring at least five people.
There were several reports of tornado touchdowns from local officials and residents, but they had not yet been confirmed by the National Weather Service.
A possible tornado damaged a number of homes in an area about five miles west of Lawrenceburg, said Bill Phillips, a staff member of the Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency.
"We have several photographs of a funnel cloud; a very narrow path of substantially built homes that had been almost completely destroyed," Phillips said.
Two people were injured and about 30-40 homes reported damage, state officials said. Four homes were destroyed.
Signs of the storms littered yards on Highway 43 near Lawrenceburg’s city limits.
"I looked out when I heard that boom, leaves, debris, you know, were just everywhere," said resident Jewel Ellis.
A tree fell on Ellis’ house and poked a hole in her roof.
"You could cry, but it doesn’t help, you know, you get emotional," she said.
Tennessee Valley Authority power lines were damaged, causing widespread power outages.
Emergency officials said getting the power turned back on was their focus. They estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people were without power.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a state of emergency and activated its emergency operations center in Nashville, which allows them to direct state resources to counties, five of which have reported damage to the state.
Damage on Buffalo Road in Lawrence County was extensive, and officials said that close to 60 homes were damaged or destroyed.
Tina Perry said she was able to hide under a desk as the storm blew through.
"The lights went out, and it was over in seconds. It was just, 'Bam.' It was here, and it was gone," she said.
Perry said she lost trees and a carport and said her home is unlivable for now.
The roof was completely blown off the home of Dale and Skip Evans, but no one was hurt.
"Thank God everybody’s safe. Thank God," Skip Evans said.
Evans said his family had moved to Tennessee to get away from hurricanes.
"In fact, we had a tornado in Key Largo. It took our roof off one time," he said.
Lawrence County schools representative Bill Heath said that none of the schools in the area was damaged, but that Ethridge Elementary was without power.
Heath urged parents to leave their children at school for a time Thursday afternoon to help keep the roads cleared for emergency personnel.
All Red Cross disaster relief response teams were called in, WSMV's news partner WLX radio reported. The radio station held a fundraiser radio-thon Saturday to assist those affected by the storms.
Officials at the station said they had raised more than $6,000 by lunch time, and they said they are not stopping there. The station said they will be raising more money throughout the upcoming weeks.
Anyone who would like to make a donation can call 931-762-1599 or send a donation to:
WLX Radio P.O. Box 61 Lawrenceburg, TN 38464The local Red Cross chapter in Lawrenceburg is also conducting a fundraiser on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. with Channel 4's news partners at WLX radio. Residents can give food, water or monetary gifts by going to WLX Saturday morning or by calling in.Homes Damaged In Bedford, Warren CountiesHomes were also struck in Warren County near McMinnville.
Along Crisp Springs Road, the damage was significant. Garages were flattened, trees were uprooted and the roofs of houses and barns were torn off.
"It was raining so hard, you couldn’t really hear it. But you could sure see what it was doing," said Richard Shoemake.
Shoemake said he and his wife made a run for it.
"There were some cedar trees across the road that started falling, and that’s when I ran to the bathroom. Then it just hit and left," he said. "It didn’t last very long."
The fast-moving storm consumed homes and businesses, and debris was scattered about.
"One tree in the back is gone. The garage is gone," Shoemake said.
There was more damage across town in the Johnstown community near Petty Gap Road.
"It all went dark, and then things started flying. I ran to the bathtub. Then, after it was over, I came out; shingles were gone, gutters, trees," said Jennifer Haley.
Haley arrived home from Ohio just 40 minutes before the storm.
"It was terrifying. We had actually, a couple, that came off the side of the road, and they were banging on the door, and we let them in. There’s cars driving by, there’s cars over there in the ditch," Haley said.
The damage was widespread but as of now there was no major injuries had been reported by late Friday.
In the Unionville and Deason communities in Bedford County, two homes were damaged, officials reported.
Minor Damage Reported In Dickson CountyA tornado warning was also issued for Cheatham and east Dickson Friday morning.
Witnesses in these areas reported strong winds as the storms blew through.
Dickson resident Theresa Roberts said large trees were blown down and some shutters were blown off some houses near Highway 46 in east Dickson County.
A city manager in Dickson said a tornado was spotted about 4 miles northeast of the city, and a representative of the Dickson County Airport said he spotted hail about the size of marbles, but he reported no damage.
Channel 4's Nancy Amons reported a barn destroyed in Dickson County, which was the worst damage that authorities had reported Friday afternoon.
Storms Produce Strong Winds, Flooding In Other AreasThe damaging storms came in the same week in which heavy rains caused flooding in parts of West and Middle Tennessee and just two months after a string of tornadoes killed 33 people in the state.
In Sumner County, Channel 4 News reported that some residents had to be rescued from a house due to flood waters.
Near Castalian Springs, a driver had to be rescued from a car that was trapped by flood water.
Cannon County EMA representative Faye Morris reported some minor damage.
"There are some minor trees down, we've got some water and a little bit of hail damage," she said.
In Hermitage in Davidson County, water was blamed for bringing down a wall.
Architects of the newly-built Hermitage Manor Apartments said they believe water saturated a hill near the complex Friday afternoon and caused the land to split and slide into a retaining wall.
Two cars were seriously damaged when the wall collapsed.
Marshall County emergency management officials say a medical helicopter crew reported spotting a tornado on the ground east of Lawrenceburg, near Interstate 65.
Some power lines were knocked down in northern Giles County, a dozen homes sustained damage and three people were injured when trees fell on an ambulance, according to TEMA. A tractor trailer was overturned on Highway 24 in Coffee County.
Tornado warnings were issued for a number of counties in middle Tennessee as the system pushed through.
Hail was reported in the Hermitage Springs area of Clay County as the storm made its way northeast toward Tompkinsville, Ky. Channel 4 meteorologist Nancy Van Camp reported that winds in excess of 100 mph were felt in the areas in Macon, Clay, Lawrence and Wayne counties.
As the storm passed through Nashville, Davidson County schools were locked down as a safety precaution. No students were allowed to leave and schools were asked to take the proper course of action.
The string of storms moved through middle Tennessee late Friday morning and afternoon.
Bands of strong thunderstorms with high winds, hail and heavy rains swept across the state on Thursday night and Friday.
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