Storm causes damage in Fairview

FAIRVIEW, Tenn. (WSMV) - Strong storms from Wednesday afternoon’s tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings in Middle Tennessee caused lots of damage in multiple communities.

At one point, more than 3,700 people in Williamson County were without power, and Fairview was one of the hardest hit areas with trees falling on homes and across roads.

Winds near Fairview High School scattered leaves and branches around the Festival Court destroying at least three homes.

Carla Claibourn had a large part of a tree hit the back of her house. She said her family has lived in the area for more than 20 years and a storm has never caused this much damage.

“The trailer is a total loss,” Claibourn said. “The whole back of it just fell when the guys took off the tree. It went down through the ceiling, into the closet and then there was just water all over the stuff. There wasn’t much time to save anything.”

Claibourn normally takes a nap in her bedroom every afternoon, but she said she would probably not be alive if she did on Wednesday because the tree flattened her bedroom. When she heard the tornado sirens going off, she ran for cover in the bathroom and was scared for her grandson’s safety.

“It was scary because it was just moments,” Claibourn said. “Luckily my grandson was in his room, which is in between the main rooms. I called out to him to make sure he was ok when I heard the crash because I had no idea. I didn’t think it was going to hit us. We have been safe so many times before.”

The wild winds that damaged Claibourn’s neighborhood also mangled the metal of the canopy at the nearby Jingo Market. Clerk Brittany Grobes said she was helping people get safely inside when it started to collapse.

“At first, it was just the rain,” Grobes said. “I knew the storm was coming, but I didn’t know it was going to be like that.”

“There was a lot of wind,” Grobes continued. “We have debris that went pretty far. It was rough for sure.”

Grobes said they hid inside the beer cooler until the worst of the storm passed. She then called her husband to check on their kids and was thankful that no one was injured from this severe storm.

“I was scared because I didn’t know if anything else was going to come through or anything like that,” Grobes said. “It was pretty rough. It was scary.”

Grobes said they have crews coming Thursday to begin repairing the gas station canopy. Until then, the pumps are blocked off with caution tape.

Meanwhile, Claibourn and her neighbors are looking for new places to live but are thankful crews quickly cleaned up the trees and put tarps over their roofs.

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