At least three people are dead after tornadoes and severe weather carved a path of destruction across Tennessee Saturday.
Officials in Montgomery County, where the town of Clarksville is located, confirmed the deaths in an update posted shortly after 8 p.m. EST.
“This is a sad day for our community,” Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden said. “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.”
At least 23 people were treated at a hospital for injuries. Damage was reported in several other locations across the state.
The sheriff’s office in Dickson County, Tennessee, about 30 miles west of Nashville, said there was damage in several areas in the northern part of that county.
“We have trees down, lines down, and roads blocked,” the agency said in a social media post at about 5:45 p.m. EST. “Please stay home and off the roads while emergency personnel are out working.”
A dispatcher there told weather.com in a phone call around 6:20 p.m. EST that there is “a lot” of damage and the call center was extremely busy. A later update said there were a few minor injuries but no fatalities reported.
Police in Clarksville, Tennessee, were responding to numerous locations due to extensive damage from a tornado that touched down around 1:30 p.m. EST. There was no immediate word on any potential injuries or deaths.
Residents were being asked to stay home and off the roadways. Plans were underway to open an elementary school as a shelter, but those had to be scuttled due to a power outage. About 21,000 homes and businesses were without electricity as of 5:30 p.m. EST, according to PowerOutage.us.
Clarksville is the largest city near the U.S. Army’s Fort Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne Division. There were no reports of damage to military facilities. The town of about 175,000 people sits in Montgomery County, about 40 miles northwest of Nashville.
“First Responders and Emergency Services have staged in the area and are assessing the damage and the safety of the residents,” the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
“Due to potential dangers from the weather, downed power lines, and debris, we (ask) that the community shelter in place and stay off the roadway.” Downed trees and power lines, as well as some damage to homes, were also reported across the state line in Todd County, Kentucky.
