Though it is still unconfirmed, it is believed that an EF-0 tornado is what caused a line of damage through DeKalb County last Tuesday, May 4. According to the National Weather Service, at least 10 EF-0 tornados struck throughout Middle Tennessee, leaving destruction in Robertson, Cheatham, Davidson, Sumner, Trousdale, Jackson, Smith, DeKalb, White, Cumberland, and Bedford counties.
An EF-0 tornado, with winds of 65-85 mph, is believed to have caused damage in DeKalb County, in a line from Alexandria to Ragland Bottom. Some witnesses even reported seeing a funnel cloud, though not on the ground.
“There were some big trees around the area that had their tops twisted out of them,” said DeKalb Emergency Management Director Charlie Parker. “We think it was a tornado but the NWS hasn’t made it official yet.”
According to Parker, most of the destruction was property damage. “We had a lot of tree damage and a lot of power lines down. There were several outbuildings destroyed and many homes with some roof damage. There were some vehicles that got crunched under trees and tree limbs, and we had a tree limb puncture the roof of a house on Holiday Haven Road.”
“We had no reports of any injuries during the storms,” Parker continued. “So we were lucky in that way.”
When asked about the areas of the county with reported damage, Parker had a long list that spanned the area. “The Sale Barn in Alexandria had some roof damage and there was some damage on Old Liberty Road in that area,” he explained. “Then, in the Smithville area, there was damage on Coconut Ridge Road, Big Hurricane Road, and the Holiday Haven Road area. From there the storm went across the lake and did some damage in the Ragland Bottom and Johnsons Chapel area.”
Director Parker said that the path of the possible tornado eerily followed the path of a deadly tornado nearly a decade ago. “It was pretty close to the same path as the deadly tornado we had back in February 2012. It was a narrow line path that ran through the county.”
The DeKalb Fire Department, Smithville Fire Department, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Smithville Police, the DeKalb Rescue Squad, the DeKalb Highway Department, and TDOT responded to the scenes to help clear debris and cut downed trees.
