NEWS

Tornado victims recount survival in Middle Tennessee

Jason Gonzales, and Adam Tamburin
The Tennessean
Tony Goodwin walks through a muddy path amidst storm damage after collecting Christmas presents from his home Thursday, Dec 24. Goodwin's home was destroyed when a tornado tore through Perry County Wednesday night.

LUTTS — Fog rose over Wayne County at daybreak Thursday just as neighbors emerged bleary-eyed to dig for keepsakes among piles of splintered wood and broken brick.

During the search, Jerry Davis spotted his Christmas turkey sticking out from beneath the rubble while his wife Dianna Davis stacked old Polaroids on the back of a cabinet that had toppled over.

This small community in southern Middle Tennessee was one of the hardest hit Wednesday night when a wave of deadly tornadoes swept through the region. The storm killed six people in Tennessee and tore through houses and businesses along a path that stretched across several counties.

Unseasonably warm weather Wednesday helped spawn twisters from Arkansas to Michigan. The line of springlike storms continued marching east Thursday, dumping torrential rain that flooded roads in Alabama and caused a mudslide in the mountains of Georgia.

In addition to the six deaths in Tennessee, authorities confirmed seven deaths in Mississippi and one in Arkansas.

An EF-3 tornado with winds of up to 157 mph leveled the Davis’ home and several nearby buildings in downtown Lutts, according to the National Weather Service. The walls of the post office there were broken apart like a shattered dinner plate, with pieces of brick scattered around the mailboxes and into the neighboring field.

Jerry Davis and his wife were in an RV when the twister hit Lutts. He said the tornado cut through the area and destroyed several buildings in a matter of seconds.

His father Alathan Davis, who was in the family home nearby, wound up wedged under the stove and the sink. Blood-soaked bandages were wrapped around his head and hand Thursday.

“I heard it just like a train, and that son of a bitch took us for a ride. It slammed us up and down,” Jerry Davis said. “If we were in that house we would have been gone, probably.”

Meteorologists have confirmed that at least one other Tennessee tornado touched down Wednesday night in Perry County, where husband and wife Antonio Gomez Yazaguirre, 70, Ann Yazaguirre, 69, died when their home was destroyed. That tornado had winds of up to 110 mph.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said late Thursday the storm caused three additional fatalities in Maury County: A 19-year-old woman and two 22-year-old men.

A 22-year-old man in Rhea County also died during the storm.

A third tornado was confirmed Thursday night at the Wayne County state line, according to the National Weather Service. The EF-1 twister was the continuation of a stronger tornado that touched down in Lauderdale County in Alabama. It destroyed one home in Tennessee.

Meteorologists have said it is likely that more tornadoes could be confirmed as the assessment of damage continues.

Haslam visits Perry County

Gov. Bill Haslam takes an ATV to a rural area where a couple was killed when their home was destroyed by a tornado in Perry County. Thursday Dec. 24, 2015, in Linden, Tenn.

On Thursday, Gov. Bill Haslam visited the Perry County site where the married couple died. He rode over a creek bed in an ATV to survey the damage, then told reporters he was looking into what the state could do to provide support for the storm’s victims.

“Everything that they own and have worked for all their life is scattered about, from teddy bears to medicine,” Haslam said. “Our hearts go out to the families of those that lost their lives, and everyone.”

Tony Goodwin and seven family members ran for a homemade storm shelter right before the tornado hit in Perry County.

“I had my grandson under my arm, everybody got in but my sister-in-law. I was yelling, ‘come on,’” he said. “I got in and as soon as I picked up the beam and set it across (the shelter door), you could hear it.

"My ears are still ringing.”

It was calm and quiet after Goodwin left the shelter, but he couldn’t see his home.

At first, he thought it had been destroyed. But then he realized the storm had instead picked up his home and moved it by about 100 feet, dragging three cars along the way.

He and his neighbors are working to clear the land of debris and rubble. Goodwin isn’t sure if he will rebuild on the land he has lived on for the last 20 years.

Perry County has been rocked by tornadoes before, with some nearly missing his plot of land.

“I don’t know yet, right now I am taking a breath,” he said. “I am glad to be alive.”

The state remained in a Level III state of emergency Thursday while officials tried to determine the scope of the damage, which TEMA said spanned 13 counties. TEMA is working with the Tennessee Civil Air Patrol to schedule flyovers for counties reporting damage, according to a statement from the agency.

Officials believe Wayne and McNairy counties suffered the most structural damage, according to the statement. Isolated damage has been reported in 11 others, including Perry, Wilson, Sumner, Montgomery, Rhea, Dyer, Hickman, Hardeman, Lawrence and Weakley counties.

Nashville missed the brunt of the storm. Emergency dispatchers said only minor incidents, like downed tree limbs, were reported in Davidson County.

Nashville escapes damage as deadly storm passes

More storms in forecast

Meteorologists say more storms and heavy rain are on the way throughout the Christmas weekend.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the Weather Service said "widespread shower and thunderstorm activity" is expected to move into the area early Christmas morning, with showers and storms expected to continue throughout the day.

Between 1 and 3 inches of rain could fall by Saturday morning, with higher totals possible in southern Middle Tennessee, the statement said. Meteorologist Scott Unger said some flash flooding might occur.

Showers and storms remain in the forecast Sunday, with another wave of heavy rain expected Monday. All together, that could result in 3-5 inches of rainfall in the area before Tuesday.

"We're going to be very wet over the next four or five days," Unger said. "We want everybody to continue to be weather aware going into the first part of next week."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach Jason Gonzales at 615-259-8047 and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales. Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986 and on Twitter @tamburintweets.


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