Tornadoes Leave Power Outages, Damage

NASHVILLE — Thousands were without electricity Saturday after tornadoes ripped through central Tennessee and part of Alabama, killing one person and destroying or damaging more than 200 homes and businesses.

Barfield, Tenn., a tiny community just southeast of Nashville, was hardest hit by the twisters and thunderstorms that rolled through Friday evening.

“We’re looking at about 75 to 80 homes, about half of which are totally destroyed,” Cecil Whaley of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Saturday.

“Also there are a large number of apartment complexes there. In some cases, all the units have been damaged extensively,” Whaley said.

Sara Gamble waited for state police to allow residents back into the community.

“I don’t know anything about my house, if it’s still standing,” she said.

The twisters skipped through nine counties in central Tennessee and an adjacent part of Alabama.

“I was standing in my kitchen . . . and I saw a funnel cloud coming at the apartments [and] my house,” said Scott Mason, who lives in Murfreesboro, Tenn. “The tornado had touched down, and it was coming right at my house. You could see the tornado just churning up the dirt as it was headed to the apartments.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. It was really, really scary.”

Up to 8,000 customers in Tennessee were still without electricity Saturday, down from 20,000 immediately after the storm, utilities said.

The only fatality was a retired physician killed in Tuscaloosa, Ala., when a tree limb crashed into the windshield of a pickup truck he was riding in.

In Tennessee, 18 people were taken to hospitals but none of their injuries were life-threatening.

“I think the surprise is in the fact at how lucky we were and not having as many people injured,” Whaley said.