Death Toll Continues To Rise In Deadliest U.S. Tornado Outbreak In 23 Years. Homes, Universities, Shopping Malls, Natural Gas Pumping Stations Among The Devastated Buildings. President Bush To Visit Damaged Areas Friday.
Tuesday was supposed to be a day dominated by the results of the Super Tuesday primaries, news of how the U.S. Presidential race is shaping up.
However, something much more darker and deadly quickly grabbed its place in the minds of America.
The deadliest severe weather outbreak in 23 years slammed America's Southern and Midwest states, killing at least 55 and injuring over 300. The storms destroyed houses, retirement homes, post offices, a shopping mall, and a natural gas pumping station, among other places.
The hardest hit areas were: Aiken, Arkansas; Memphis, Jackson, Hardin County, Williamson County, Sumner County, and Macon County, all in Tennessee; and communities in northern Alabama and south-central Kentucky.
Probably the most blessed area of the night was metro Nashville, Tennessee. A deadly tornado struck in an area to the southwest, around Fairview in Williamson County. The storm's funnel pulled back up as it approached the city of Nashville. The supercell continued to cross over the city, and dropped its funnel again after passing over Nashville's Davidson County. That funnel stayed on the ground for 51 miles, passing through Sumner, Macon, and Trousdale counties in Tennessee, and continuing on through Allen County, Kentucky. That tornado alone killed at least 27 people.
Below is a photo essay of the disaster. For stories and videos, click the links below. May God be with all who suffered great loss in these areas. They are certainly in America's thoughts and prayers! For those in these regions, I just want to encourage you all to keep the faith! You will bounce back, swiftly and better than before, because you have faith in the Almighty above, and a strong Puritian work-ethic based on your faith. We stand with you as you try your hardest to recover.
Outbreak death toll
State
Total
County
Countytotal
Arkansas 13
Baxter 1
Conway 2
Izard 2
Pope 4
Stone 1
Van Buren 3
Kentucky 7
Allen 4
Muhlenberg 3
Tennessee 33
Fayette 1
Hardin 3
Macon 14
Madison 2
Shelby 3
Sumner 7
Trousdale 3
Totals
59
All confirmed deaths are tornado-related
Tolls are from Wikipedia
Tennessee's death tolls by county as of Wednesday night, Feb. 6, 2008.
SUMNER COUNTY, TENNESSEE
The historic Wynnewood site in Castilian Springs, a hard-hit area.
The remains of the Castilian Springs post office were blown across the street from where it once stood.
Postal workers try to recover items from the demolished Castilian Springs post office.
Debris shrewn across a Castilian Springs highway.
A house stands near Castilian Springs, while neighboring houses in the back are gone.
TROUSDALE COUNTY, TENNESSEE
The glow could be seen in all surrounding counties, and for miles when the Columbia Gulf natural gas pumping station caught fire after taking a direct hit from the tornado. The flames shot as much as 500 feet in the air in the fire.
The remains of the Columbia Gulf facility, near Hartsville, after the tornado and fire caused severe damage.
MACON COUNTY, TENNESSEE
Houses near Lafayette, Tennessee, lie in ruin after a direct hit by the tornado, measured at 3/4 of a mile wide. The tornado stayed on the ground for 51 miles after passing Nashville.
The remains of the F&M Furniture Manufacturing Company in Lafayette.
An overview of the F&M destruction.
Yet another image of F&M.
A house in Macon County after Tuesday night's tornado.
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
The Sears at the Hickory Hill Mall in Memphis suffered serious damage. The mall itself was closed because of substantial damage.
This Caterpillar plant in Memphis sustained severe damage.
The remains of a warehouse in Memphis.
JACKSON, TENNESSEE
This Walgreens near Union University shows signs of heavy damage.
A BancorpSouth branch and an Arby's restaurant with Union University in the background.
Another view of the BancorpSouth branch.
A Jackson church sustained haevy damage.
A view of the destroyed dorms at Union.
Another view of the devastated dorms.
Yet another view of the dorms.
And yet another view.
Cars were strewn around the campus.
One of Union's largest buildings sustained heavy roof damage.
Images are courtesy of the Tennessean, Commercial Appeal, and the Jackson Sun.
REFERENCE LINKS
Wikipedia article on the "2008 Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak"
ARTICLES
Associated Press
CNN
MSNBC
Memphis, Tenn., Commercial Appeal
Commercial Appeal Special Section
Nashville, Tenn., Tennessean
Tennessean Special Section
WTVF-TV, Nashville, Tenn., Special Section
WSMV-TV, Nashville, Tenn., Special Section
WMC-TV, Memphis, Tenn., Special Section
Jackson, Tenn., Sun - Special Section
Gallatin, Tenn., News-Examiner (Courtesy of The Tennessean)
Clarksville, Tenn., Leaf-Chronicle
Little Rock, Ark., Democrat-Gazette
Birmingham, Ala., News
Bowling Green, Ky., Daily News
VIDEO
MSNBC- Supercell took region by suprise
CNN Video Coverage
Tennessean Video Coverage
WSMV-TV, Nashville, Tenn., Video
PHOTO GALLERIES
Tennessean Audio Photo Gallery
Tennessean Audio Photo Gallery with scenes from across the "Volunteer State".
Macon County, Tenn.
Sumner County, Tenn.
Fairview, Williamson County, Tenn. (The supercell thunderstorm dropped a tornado here, then it fizzled as the storm crossed Nashville. The supercell then dropped the deadly funnel after leaving Nashville, and went on its rampage through Sumner, Trousdale, and Macon Counties, before causing choas in a section of south-central Kentucky.)
Jackson, Tenn.
Columbia Gulf Natural Gas pumping station fire, Trousdale County, Tenn.
Union University tornado photos
Commercial Appeal slide show
Commercial Appeal slide show II
Clean-up photos from the Little Rock, Ark. Democrat-Gazette
Jackson, Tenn. Sun's special coverage of the storms, including photo galleries
No comments:
Post a Comment