HENDERSONVILLE, TN – A series of devastating tornadoes swept through Middle Tennessee on Saturday, resulting in at least six fatalities, including a child, and leaving over 160,000 residents without electricity. The violent storms caused widespread destruction, flipping cars, uprooting trees, and ripping apart homes and buildings.
The Big Play game center in Hendersonville saw its roof collapse under the force of the storm. The Community Baptist Church on Dickerson Pike in Nashville was left in ruins, its roof gone and cars scattered across the parking lot. The aftermath of the storm was a grim sight on Sunday morning.
Montgomery County Mayor, Wes Golden, expressed his sorrow, stating, “This is a sad day for our community. We are praying for those who are injured, lost loved ones, and lost their homes. This community pulls together like no other and we will be here until the end.”
Among the victims were Joseph Dalton, 37, and Floridema Gabriel Perez, 31, who were killed when Dalton’s mobile home was blown onto Perez’s house in Madison. Perez’s two-year-old son, Anthony Elmer Mendez, was also killed. Two other children, Perez’s seven-year-old son and Dalton’s ten-year-old son, survived the storm and were taken to Vanderbilt Pediatrics with non-life threatening injuries.
The storm also caused several explosions, toppled church steeples, and led to heavy flooding in Davidson County. In Madison, the storm left a trail of destruction, with downed trees, demolished homes, and power lines strewn across roads.
In Hendersonville, the streets were plunged into darkness, with demolished businesses and downed power lines on Main Street. The city’s police received calls from people trapped in structures, while the local medical center operated on emergency power as storm victims arrived for treatment.
In Clarksville, residents described the sound of the approaching tornado as similar to a train. The Garrettsburg Estates neighborhood was left in ruins, with one resident urging others to never take emergency bulletins lightly.