MOUNT JULIET — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief is gearing up to assist Tennessee residents in the aftermath of a string of tornadoes and severe storms that struck the state on March 31 and the early morning hours of April 1.
Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, said the full extent of damage across Tennessee probably won’t be known until later in the day (April 1).
“We have assessors going to the hardest hit areas as soon as possible. Some areas, such as Covington, are still impassable, according to news reports, Jones said.
The storms were part of a larger system that swept across the central and southern portions of the United States, leaving at least nine dead with five in Arkansas, three in Indiana and one in Illinois.
In Arkansas, at least 50 people were hospitalized after a tornado hit the Little Rock area and people were trapped in homes in Wynne, Ark. Nearly 450,000 customers are without power across the U.S due to the storms, according to a tracking site.
According to WPLN News in Nashville, early reports from West Tennessee indicate storm damage in Tipton, Haywood, McNairy and Hardin counties with possible tornado damage near Paris, Clarksville, Hohenwald, Savannah, Hartsville, Eagleville, Christiana and Woodbury.
Covington was one of the hardest hit areas, according to numerous news reports. It was hit by the same storm that caused massive damage In Wynne, Ark. Covington Mayor Jan Hensley posted that the city had been hit with severe storms and emergency services were responding, according to a report by The Commercial Appeal in Memphis.
A “2023 Tornado Fund” has been established at TnDisasterRelief.org for those who wish to assist in recovery efforts.
Updates will be posted at baptistandreflector.org as they become available. B&R
