A tornado touched down in Maury County in eastern Columbia off Bear Creek Pike, resulting in one death, according to Maury County Regional Hospital.
Four more people were injured after a tornado confirmed by the National Weather Service tore through eastern Columbia and strong storms affected other parts of Maury County and Middle Tennessee on Wednesday.
Downed trees, blocked roads and scattered debris were scattered along Bear Creek Pike, closing the road from Tom J. Hitch to I-65, the Maury County Office of Emergency Management confirmed.
The Office of Emergency Management has confirmed that a tornado touched down on Bear Creek Pike in eastern Columbia and swept across Joe Brown Road.
“We are receiving reports of damage,” the Maury County Office of Emergency Management posted on its Facebook page Wednesday. “We urge everyone to stay off the roads if you can stay at home.”
“Cranford Hollow Road off Bear Creek Pike sustained damage to some structures as well as trees and power lines. Possible cars were overturned and initial reports are of some people trapped in their homes” , said Eric Previti, chairman of the Maury County Commission board of directors.
The Maury County Office of Emergency Management will hold a press conference this evening to report on the extent of the damage in Columbia and the surrounding county.
Maury County schools will be closed Thursday.
NWS warns of tornado
The National Weather Service in Nashville initially issued a tornado warning for parts of Columbia, Mt. Pleasant and Hampshire around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, predicting it would pass through around 5:45 p.m.
The weather quickly recovered, extending the tornado warning until 6:15 p.m., when the NWS reported that a tornado had indeed touched down in Colombia, urging citizens in the region to take shelter immediately.
Local first responders quickly received numerous calls, with Columbia police confirming that fallen trees and power lines had been reported on major roads like Bear Creek Pike and Old Highway 99, in some cases blocking the road completely.
Tornado Damage Reports
Kerri Bartlett contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared in the Daily Herald: Columbia Tornado: Damage Reported in Maury County, Tennessee
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