A tornado near downtown Nashville early Tuesday killed two people, police said, and hit the CBS affiliate in the city directly. WTVF-TV described damage around town as extensive.
The city’s emergency operations center was activated. An emergency shelter was set up. Residents were urged to avoid downed power lines. Some 44,000 homes and businesses had no electricity.
Schools were closed for the day but polling stations for the Super Tuesday primary were to stay open.
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The twister was one of at least two that touched down in central Tennessee. The one near downtown reportedly stayed on the ground into Hermitage, about 10 miles east of the city.
A video posted online from east Nashville showed what appeared to be a well-defined tornado moving quickly across the city. Lightning repeatedly flashed while much of the city was in the dark. The whir of the wind could be heard gusting after the tornado moved out of sight.
WTVF said damage was severe:
An AutoZone was ripped apart. WTVF called that damage “stunning.” A Burger Up eatery was destroyed.
Parts of Tennessee State University’s campus were damaged, nut the school is on spring break.
A reported gas leak forced an evacuation of the IMT building in the Germantown community, according to WSMV-TV. Photos showed dozens of people in the street carrying their belongings not long after the tornado moved through the city.
Two tornado warnings in Putnam County, east of Nashville, were reported a short time later. The National Weather Service said the tornadoes were confirmed on radar.
A storm system was forecast to bring an isolated tornado, damaging winds and large hail, news outlets reported. Heavy rain was expected to impact Gulf Coast states over the next several days, according to WTVF.
