Nashville community finds hope amid deadly destruction after onslaught of tornadoes tear through Tennessee
"It has been a difficult 12 hours," Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder told FOX Weather of the devastation following the dinner-hour twister in Middle Tennessee. "We know that the days ahead will also be difficult."
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A woman is dead, and dozens more are injured after a large tornado ripped through Maury County on the south side of the Nashville metro area.
COLUMBIA, Tenn. – The sun now shines in Middle Tennessee, where some of humanity's best is illuminated during a very dark time for one community.
A woman is dead, and dozens more are injured after a large tornado ripped through Maury County on the south side of the Nashville metro area.
"It has been a difficult 12 hours," Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder told FOX Weather of the devastation following the dinner-hour twister. "We know that the days ahead will also be difficult."
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is expected to tour the damage in Maury County on Thursday.
(Max Gorden / FOX Weather)
As the search and recovery efforts continued, first responders collaborated to provide aid. Molder said mayors from all across the state have offered their help, and individuals from various regions are eager to lend a hand. Drones were also used to assess the damage and ensure that anyone who needed assistance was identified and helped.
1 dead in Maury County, Tennessee following large tornado
Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder joins FOX Weather with the latest updates on the situation in Middle Tennessee.
One Columbia resident told FOX Weather's Max Gorden that he was getting ready to sit down and watch TV when it started getting crazy outside.
"I got up, and I looked out my window, and I'm thinking … I better put some britches on because this is going to get hairy," the man, who goes by Bob, said. "It was nuts. Trees were just going every which way."
Image 1 of 5A woman is dead, and dozens more are injured after a large tornado ripped through Maury County on the south side of the Nashville metro area. (Max Gorden)
Image 2 of 5A woman is dead, and dozens more are injured after a large tornado ripped through Maury County on the south side of the Nashville metro area. (Max Gorden)
Image 3 of 5A woman is dead, and dozens more are injured after a large tornado ripped through Maury County on the south side of the Nashville metro area. (Max Gorden)
Image 4 of 5A woman is dead, and dozens more are injured after a large tornado ripped through Maury County on the south side of the Nashville metro area. (Max Gorden)
Image 5 of 5A woman is dead, and dozens more are injured after a large tornado ripped through Maury County on the south side of the Nashville metro area. (Max Gorden)
Chaz credits the city's local weather partners, who were aware of the incoming weather event days before it happened. Thanks to their early warning, the city was able to prepare for the event in advance.
"I don't think any of us anticipated that it was going to be this significant," he added.
HEAR THE ROAR OF A POWERFUL TENNESSEE TORNADO
Fortunately, the city proper escaped the brunt of the tornadic activity. The touchdown occurred approximately two miles outside of the city limits. At this time, the National Weather Service has not provided an estimate regarding the intensity, but a crew from its Nashville office is in the area surveying the damage.
"Regardless of it was in the city limits or not, when our neighbors in the county are impacted, we are all impacted," Chaz said.
The mayor said the destruction that occurred in the county would have been far worse if the touchdown had occurred in the city of Columbia proper.
TORNADO STRIKES COMMUNITIES AROUND COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE
"There is quite a bit of destruction in the county," he said. "Multiple homes totally destroyed. Lives have been displaced for the foreseeable future. So, while we did escape the brunt of it in the city, our friends in the county were not as lucky."
Governor Bill Lee is expected to tour the damage on Thursday.