Keith Sharon,Jay Powell,Scott Broden,Kerri BartlettNashville Tennessean
Southbound cars on I-65 stopped on the shoulder in the gray evening light to see a massive, spinning Y in the sky scraping through Columbia.
For about an hour, the terror for Maury County residents was on top of them as a tornado ripped through,leaving a two-mile wide path of destruction. People were trapped. First responders hustled along the Columbia/Spring Hill border.
There were floods and falling trees. Power went out. With morning light, schools closed. The fear of more trauma from rising water remained. A Rutherford County boy was caught in a storm drain and was still in critical condition.
And so many people across Middle Tennessee found themselves thinking the same thing.
Again.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tennessee has endured at least 205 twisters since the start of 2020 (the statistics have not been updated yet in 2024). The memories of deadly storms in March 2020 and December 2023 still seem too fresh.
The damage from the May 8 storms stretched across the state, with two confirmed fatalities and thousands of residents losing power for at least a portion of Wednesday evening.
One person died in Columbia, and another died in Tazewell in East Tennessee after being hit be a falling tree.
Rescues in Maury County
"We have had a long night, but we have an amazing group of people checking in on everyone in our community," Maury County Mayor Sheila Butt said.
Emergency Management Director Jeff Hardy said in addition to downed trees, power lines and structural damage to homes, the storm also caused a fuel tanker to capsize on U.S. Highway 31 north of Burt Drive and south of Carters Creek Pike.
It was a long night for first responders.
'A tragedy in our county': Tornado relief continues in Columbia following storm
"Approximately 12 people were removed from debris, or from wooded areas with the one confirmed fatality," Maury County Fire Deputy Chief Richard Schatz said. "We had resources from several surrounding counties and municipalities all respond and provide search and rescue teams, as well as additional manpower to the area."
The search continued Thursday.
"A request was made through the Tennessee Mutual Aid system and members from surrounding organizations are responding into the area to conduct secondary searches in conjunction with dog teams, as well to search completely collapsed structures that were checked, but we are going to follow it up with a more detailed search throughout the day," Schatz said.
Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, highlighted several entities working together in a time of crisis.
"Tragedy has befallen our county overnight, but I'll tell you this, the volunteer spirit is alive and well in Tennessee," Cepicky said. "The outpouring of support across the state wanting to help our citizens in need right now has been overwhelming. Law enforcement and emergency responders all working together, coming together so quickly to provide help to those who need it the most has just been an impressive thing to watch."
'Asher needs a miracle'
Rutherford County Schools Director James "Jimmy" Sullivan provided new details Thursday about the injuries his 10-year-old son sustained duringWednesday's storm.
The boy, whom the director identified as Asher in a social media post, was playing with other children in the water that had accumulated in the street while neighbors gathered to begin the cleanup process when somehow, he "got caught in the storm drain and was swept under the neighborhood streets."
"He eventually came out in a drainage ditch, and CPR was administered for quite some time. His heartbeat was reestablished, but the damage is substantial," Sullivan wrote in the post. Asher was taken first to Ascension, and then to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the post noted.
"His lungs are severely damaged, and he is not showing much brain activity outside of muscle jerks," Sullivan wrote. "Specially, pray for healing for his lungs and most importantly brain activity to occur.
"Asher needs a miracle."
Columbia woman says it was 'scariest moment' of her life
With dust still sticking to her hair, Tammy Johnson, 66, of Columbia was picking up the pieces at her Cothran Road home.
Her residence sits on a lush scenic hill overlooking Bear Creek Pike, the main roadway that leads to Columbia's eastern Interstate 65 extension.
Johnson was upstairs in bed, almost asleep on Wednesday evening, when her bedroom window blew out.
“Things just started flying like the Wizard of Oz,” she said.
When the dust and the debris settled, Johnson and her dog, Max, were unharmed.
“I just said Lord please don’t let me die,” Johnson said. “It was the scariest moment of my life.”
Her memories are strewn along the front lawn and a gaping hole in the second-story of her home shows inside her bedroom.
A statue of Moses holding the Ten Commandments is still standing in her yard.
