Posted on 03/03/2012 12:23:05 AM PST by Tennessee Nana
A tornado passing through Northern Hamilton County shortly after noon on Friday leveled a number of homes in the vicinity of Lake Chickamauga.
So far no fatalities have been reported to the command post.
Amy Maxwell of Hamilton County Emergency Management said about 20 homes were ripped off their foundations at Shorttail Springs Road. There was also heavy damage in the vicinity of Savannah Trail and at Island Cove Marina, which had a number of boats damaged.
At 5 p.m. she said the total number of victims that were received at Hamilton County hospitals was at 15. Fourteen of those were at Erlanger and one at TC Thompson Children's Hospital. No information was given as to the extent of all the injuries on the patients transported to the hospital.
Involved were approximately 200 responders with 20 response agencies and 60+ response vehicles..
The tornado roared on into Bradley County and McMinn County. Several houses were reportedly heavily damaged in Bradley County near the Hamilton County line and there was heavy damage near Etowah, Tn., in the vicinity of County Road 850.
A new line of storms came through around dark, causing damage along Browns Ferry Road in Lookout Valley and in downtown Chattanooga.
Initial reports show at least two people were injured by severe storms that moved through Bradley County. Both injuries appear to be the result of entrapments and both were transported to the hospital. One of the individuals, a woman, is listed in stable condition. She was injured when her home, which is located just south of the Belfounte/Old Charleston Road intersection, was completely destroyed. Several other houses in this area also report damage.
Three EMA field assessment teams have returned with the initial damage report. There are three homes destroyed, 12 homes with major damage, 18 homes with minor damage and a total of 45 affected. Much of the damage is in the Candies Lane/Georgetown Road area, Hopewell area and North Lee Highway between Cleveland and Charleston. There are also unconfirmed reports of damage to the Bradley Square Mall on Paul Huff Parkway.
Trees are down across the city and county resulting in several power outages. Cleveland Utilities report 1,041 customers are still without power.
Several roads were closed by falling trees. City and county crews are working to push the debris to the side of the road to clear access for emergency crews and local residents. Four roads are still reported closed at this time but are expected to be cleared in a couple of hours. Volunteer chain saw crews, coordinated by the Bradley Baptist Association, will be mobilized Saturday morning to assist with tree and debris removal. Those needing assistance should call 476-5493.
The Bradley County Sheriff’s Department has set up a command post at the Senior Center on Urbane Road. The Hiwassee Chapter of the American Red Cross has opened a temporary shelter at St. Therese Catholic Church for those individuals who may not have a place to stay. It is located at 900 Clingan Ridge Drive in Cleveland.
The Ooltewah Baptist Church at 5514 Main St. in Ooltewah has opened its gym to offer services to the public in the affected area of the storm.
At 1 p.m., Hamilton County Emergency Services activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Congressman Chuck Fleischmann issued the following statement on the tornadoes in East Tennessee: “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the severe weather and tornadoes in Tennessee today. My staff and I are monitoring reports of tornado activity throughout the area, and I will be working closely with local and state authorities to provide support for victims. As we remain in a tornado watch, I encourage all East Tennesseans to go to a safe location and stay there until authorities give the all clear.”
Hamilton County Sheriff's department reports the following roads closures:
All 11-64 exit ramps from I-75 onto 11-64 are closed
Shorttail Springs at Hunter Road
Island Point at Greenwood
Snowhill Rd.at Greenwood
Mahan Gap at Snowhill
Ooltewah Georgetown at Mahan Gap
Roy Ln. at Providence
Snowhill at Shorttail Springs
Little Debbie at Apison Pike
Hunter Road at Mountain View
The tornadoes in my area
Not as bad as last April
and thankfully nobody died this time
Thankfully nobody died this time indeed!
A long, unnerving day, and a rough one for a lot of folks.
We had a couple of tornado warnings in Franklin Co. but to my knowlege, no touchdowns. It sure kept us on edge all afternoon as we followed the weather coverage.
I hope we don’t have another bad year like last year, but I’m getting the sinking feeling my hope’s in vain. It’s not looking very promising, is it?
People did die in other states though...
Storms wreck Indiana towns, kill at least 28 across several states
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/03/storms-wreck-indiana-towns-kill-at-least-24-across-3-states/
I was watching this mess all day yesterday - reminded me of April 27, 2011 when we had that huge outbreak of tornadoes across MS, AL, GA, & TN. Fortunately, this one wasn’t as bad but plenty of people did suffer and plenty of damage has occurred.
I had my laptop, cell phone, sidearm, and other essentials in the basement and was prepared to take refuge under the pool table if necessary but it missed this area. Barely...
All around big storm. We didn’t have tornadoes in Michigan but we had some big time wind here in the south and snow in the north.
My power went out some time over night and we had at least one gust of 67 mph. Its still windy but expected to slowly drop off over the day.
Were you going to shoot the storm? All jokes aside. Im in Tallahassee and am expecting a rough day of weather..
Just turned on the TV news.
Fox&Friends is reporting over 2 dozen deaths yesterday from the various storms/tornadoes.
The storm line ran from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.
Fox&Friends just reported an increase in the number killed yesterday to 31, with 44 storm-related deaths for the week.
Anyone expect POTUS to call the Governors and offer condolences or is he too busy calling sexually promiscuous 30 year-old women who need FEMA funds for contraception?
How did we deteriorate to this level?
I personally would ditch FEMA altogether. Its just one more set of federal handcuffs polished up nice and pretty.
FEMA has funds and assets - but the layers and logistics delayed and hindered Katrina efforts.
States would be better able to prepare and deliver for their own unique risks where natural disasters are common.
i.e. Tornado alley. Gulf hurricanes. Northwest blizzards. California earthquakes. Tailor and maintain the resources accordingly.
We used to have the national guard doing the heavy lifting but locals took care of basic things like food water and shelter.
When I was a kid we still had some basic civil defense. I remember my grandfather going around to storm damaged houses and making the wiring safe for people to have electricity while they fixed things.
My grandmother spend days at the church cooking for people who were staying there or taking meals to elderly people who didn’t want to leave home.
In Kentucky it’s a mess...a third of their county’s hit, five very hard.
Some communities completely gone...
15 deaths in Indiana where they had softball size hail.
There were 95 Tornados reported yesturday...417 reports of hail.
Buses, cars and 18 wheelers flipped. Not to mention houses, businesses etc.
There’s a huge slideshow of some of the damage here.
I don’t know you personally but always enjoy your insight and posts. I was looking for a post from you to make sure you were OK. It appears that you are - very happy about that.
Best,
Teri
Yes, too many did die in the tornados in other states yesterday. More than Wed. Now even more have died today and the day isn’t over yet. :-(
It’s been a rough week and I hope we all get a long break from this crummy weather.
I was watching it all day yesterday, too, nerves on edge. We don’t have a basement to take cover in.
We were hit by a small tornado during the April 27th outbreak last year so these storm systems make our hair stand up.
I’ve been on the phone a lot this afternoon calling family and friends who were in the line of these storms. I’m relieved that all came through unscathed.
But prayers are being said for all the folks who weren’t so lucky.
One town completely gone another badly damaged just twenty minutes south of here. Many deaths. Only thing we lost was out DISH service.
In our town one hit about a block or two from one that hit in April..
So where is Obama? Has he announced any plans to visit the devastated areas? Has he even issued a statement about the situation, or what he intends to do to assist those impacted by the storms?
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