Tornadoes Hit Hard in Tennessee, Officials Say
Authorities say at least six to eight people have been severely injured, with at least 10 sustaining minor injuries from severe storms and several tornados that hit the Hamilton and Bradley counties of Tennessee today.
The Hamilton County Emergency Operations Center says that emergency medical crews are continuing to treat patients on the ground and have transported six to 10 patients to hospitals in the area.
WRCB has reported a triage at Ooltewah High School has been set up to treat patients, and say American Red Cross are also on the ground right now providing assistance to those injured.
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Emergency personnel are going around on foot house-to-house in the badly affected Short Tails Springs and Wolftever Drive areas checking homes for people injured, which are also the areas where roads have been cut off.
According to WRBC, these workers have confirmed at least 20 homes have been completely ripped from their foundations, and many homes have severe roof damage.
The Chattanooga Fire Department have also sent personnel out on the ground with chainsaws to help clear the roads, and the Salvation Army has just announced they will be setting up facilities at Bayside Baptist Church to help people affected by the storm.
Amy Maxwell, public information officer for Hamilton County Emergency Services, told Chattanooga Times Free Press that the Island Cove Marina on Highway 58 was also hard hit, with numerous houseboats damaged and many other boats submerged in water.
A tornado warning is still in place for eastern Tennessee, with areas of Tennessee still under "high risk" for severe thunderstorms and tornados. "I would expect to see dozens of tornadoes in a frenzied afternoon," said The Weather Channel's severe weather expert Greg Forbes, having raised the tornado index to nine out of 10.
