TEMA Flash Report #1 Tennessee Severe Weather Dec. 10 & 11

Saturday, December 11, 2021 | 12:28pm

SEOC Activation:  LEVEL 3 – STATE of EMERGENCY

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Severe storms, producing observed and radar-indicated tornadoes, impacted multiple counties overnight in West and Middle Tennessee.
  • A total of three, weather-related fatalities are confirmed. Numerous trees and power lines are down, with localized damages reported, in multiple counties.
  • The State Emergency Operations Center is activated and State of Tennessee personnel are supporting response efforts and resource requests in the impacted areas of the state.

CURRENT SITUATION

West and Middle Tennessee experienced two lines of severe weather Friday night into Saturday morning as a mass of warm, unstable air moved across the state.

The first line of storms on Friday evening entered West Tennessee and then lifted northward at the Tennessee River and moved into Kentucky. The second line of storms entered West Tennessee before midnight Friday, gaining strength as they moved into Middle Tennessee and primarily impacted counties along and north of I-40.

The State Emergency Operations Center in Nashville is activated at a Level 3 – State of Emergency with Emergency Service Coordinators from many State of Tennessee departments whose personnel are supporting local jurisdictions directly with storm response.

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) staff will assist local officials with any needs or resource requests, and as life-safety issues are addressed and any search and rescue operations completed, TEMA will begin supporting damage assessments with local jurisdictions.

STORM IMPACTS

The Tennessee Dept. of Health has confirmed three, weather-related fatalities from the first storm wave in West Tennessee to include two fatalities in Lake County and one fatality in Obion County.

Downed trees and power lines reported in Decatur, Gibson, Henderson, and Madison counties. Gibson County opened a storm shelter for 60 people overnight, down to 16 people this morning. Weakley County report damage in the Dresden area and is investigating the source of a water outage. Shelby County is reporting damage in the Arlington area.

During the second storm wave, the SEOC received initial reports of damages and power outages stretching from Humphreys County through Clay and Macon counties in Middle Tennessee. Damages reported in Davidson, Dickson, Houston, Montgomery, Rutherford, Stewart, Sumner, and Wilson counties.

Power outages as of 4 a.m. totaled 132,550 statewide:  Davidson County, 80,000; Shelby County, 27,000; Wilson County 5,000; Montgomery County, 4,400; Madison County, 1,800; Williamson County, 1,400; Chester County 1,100; Obion County, 1,100; Lake County, 400, and Dyer County 250.

RESPONSE ACTIONS

  • TEMA’s West and Middle Regional Coordination Centers are operational to respond to resource requests from local jurisdictions.
  • The Tennessee Department of Health is in contact with health systems and emergency medical services to monitor and track conditions of injured individuals.
  • The Tennessee Dept. of Human Services and American Red Cross are in contact with local officials to support sheltering needs.
  • Tennessee Dept. of Transportation and Tennessee Highway Patrol are supporting local communities with storm impacts.
  • The Tennessee Dept. of Environment and Conservation is monitoring the status of power outages and assessing storm impacts to water and waste-water systems locally.
  • TEMA will remain in contact with local emergency managers to ensure there are no unmet needs.

KEY MESSAGES

  • Monitor local news for updates on weather forecasts, and for any weather watches or warnings issued for your area.
  • Follow the instructions of emergency officials and be ready to take cover in any severe weather situation.
  • Do not drive or walk through any high water – Turn Around, Don’t Drown.
  • Do not attempt to move any downed power lines. Instead contact your local power company to report the damage or call 9-1-1 if it is an emergency situation.

 

WEATHER FORECAST

  • Memphis: Mostly cloudy with a high of 60 today.
  • Nashville: Scattered storms today with a high of 63.
  • Knoxville: Thunderstorms and a high of 69 today.
  • Chattanooga: Thunderstorms today and a high of 68.

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