Storms roared through Rutherford County around 3:00 o'clock Monday afternoon (6/10/2013). Amazingly, almost as quickly as they appeared--stormed cloulds moved out and sunshine blanketed the area. That was not long lasting, as torrential rains returned along with straight line winds that wreaked havoc.
One of the first incidents was a car that rolled and flipped on North Highland at Lytle Street, next to the old hospital site. (see photo above). This happened a little after 3:00.
There were numerous other motor vehicle accidents (MVA's). Some were on St. Andrews Drive, Elam Road, Compton Road, SE Broad at Ash Streets, Epps Mill at Wayside Drive, and several other sites. The Smyrna zone reported a 3 car MVA on Baker Road. As the afternoon advanced, so did the number of accidents. In fact, the list grew so large that it was a challenge to emergency responders. WGNS salutes all of these dedicated persons, including the telecommunicators, for their professional assistance.
Traffic was in grid-lock conditions as power lines and trees were downed all over the county.
Trees damaged homes on Elam Road, also the Manchester Highway, as well as the Royal Glenn subdivision. Utility lines and trees were also an issue on Rucker at Old South. In another case, a tree fell on top of a vehicle that was parked in the driveway.
Power lines were down on Manchester Highway at Joe B. Jackson Parkway. Crews were called to cut trees and clear Franklin Highway (96 East or Old Fort Parkway). The same situation was causing problems on Armstrong Valley Road.
If you had problems, please e-mail WGNS what happened and include a photo if possible: news@WGNSradio.com.
Below: Evergren Farms Subdivision (submitted by Dayna Mortinsen)
Here is a report from the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office
No injuries have been reported from a storm that blew through the western and southeastern sections of Rutherford County, leaving trees uprooted and toppled atop homes and vehicles.
Trees and live power lines are blocking U.S. Highway 41 South (Manchester Highway) near Joe B. Jackson Road and state Route 96 West (Franklin Road). Both highways are closed.
Sheriff Robert Arnold advised citizens to stay away from live power lines.
Citizens who have damage are asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 898-7770 so dispatchers can send the Rutherford County Highway Department, Rutherford County Fire and Rescue and volunteer firefighters.
Sheriff Arnold directed patrol deputies, detectives and on-duty School Resource Officers to the damaged areas.Some roads closed include Elam Road, Creekside and Epps Mill Road. Citizens who don’t have to be traveling should stay at home to allow emergency crews to clean up the area as quickly as possible.
Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue reports that . . .
From motor vehicle accidents to downed power lines and natural gas leaks, MFRD personnel were responding all over town after a major storm hit just after 3:15 Monday afternoon.
“Engines and Rescue companies were dispatching left and right,” said Public Information Officer Ashley McDonald. “It was difficult to keep up with all the radio traffic.”
Believed to be the result of what is being called “straight line winds”, several homes received cosmetic damage (siding, shingles, etc.) while others were left with holes in the roof. Trees were down throughout the city and crews worked quickly to get as many out of the way as possible.
District 5 responded to a natural gas leak at 415 Tessa Court and other homes in The Cloister subdivision. Crews worked quickly to cut off gas and called Atmos Energy to the scene for assistance. “We also saw trampolines strewn about and smashed up next to homes, fences destroyed, and trees and limbs all over the place,” said District 5’s Acting Captain David Simms. “We also responded to a grill on fire.”
District 2 responded to a fire call at 1315 Knight Drive, which turned out to be downed power lines according to Assistant Fire Marshal Tracy Summar. Downed power lines also had crews responding to 4755 Franklin Road. The call came in as live wires sparking close to a house. “The power was off in the residence,” said District 9 Captain Mark McCluskey, “but the lines were still hot.” “We called Middle Tennessee Electric and asked them to make this a priority,” he added.
Traveling away from the scene and turning around in an undeveloped subdivision, McCluskey and his crew even saw a large semi trailer (sans the truck) turned over on its side. “This trailer could have been empty or may have been what construction crews used to store items on site,” said McCluskey.
Crews also responded to several motor vehicle accidents including East Northfield and Pitts Lane, 545 Rucker Lane, and 1816 Saint Andrews.
No major injuries were reported with all the activity today; however, there were a few injuries associated with the motor vehicle accidents.
“No matter what we were dispatched to or how potentially dangerous a call was, our crews did as they always do, and jumped in to assist their community. Whether it was just cutting up tree limbs, or even offering friendly advice to a homeowner, I was proud of our personnel today. They acted quickly and with bravery and professionalism,” said Shift Commander Tim Swann.
