Page 10 - July-Aug2020 Vol38 No2
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CHATTANOOGA by Matthew Dye
Tornado Response Assists Citizens
On the evening of Easter Sunday, the tornado moved through the eastern exterior walls collapsed, and trees and
April 12th this year, around 11:30 p.m. neighborhoods of Chattanooga, it gained poles were uprooted or denuded.
an EF-3 tornado hit Chattanooga and in strength to an EF-1. Entering into the
Hamilton County. The local storms Harris Hills neighborhood, it uprooted In total, the whirling mass of air stayed
began around 11:15 p.m. with winds and snapped trees in the residential area. on the ground for eighteen minutes,
reaching 65-85 mph, accompanied by The vortex of nightmares traveled along traveled twenty miles, and reached 1,500
strong thunderstorms and flooding near East Brainerd Road into Bella Vista Acres yards in width. During this time, a total of
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National neighborhood, where it ramped up to a 2,718 properties were defaced, of which
Military Park. category EF-3 with winds clocking in at 254 were destroyed and 259 had major
145 mph. damage. Tragically three lives were lost
These massive supercell storms pushed along with nineteen people injured.
across the southeastern United States It’s in this area where Chattanooga
as they moved and mixed with different suffered the most carnage. The City of Chattanooga Public Works
winds and updrafts, creating a dangerous Both Industrial and Residential Losses Responds
and deadly combination. This resulted in
more than a hundred tornadoes crossing The twister’s high winds caused both The City of Chattanooga responded
over ten states in two days. industrial and residential areas to suffer quickly to the storm. At about midnight,
Storms Cut Through Several States significant losses. An auto parts store was Chattanooga Public Works crews were
decimated, and a strip-mall section that on site assessing damage, less than 45
The storms began around Amarillo, formerly housed a barbeque restaurant minutes after the storm hit the city. The
Texas, and ended off the shores of the was wiped out. A nearby doctor’s office first day of a two-week cleanup had
Carolinas. was heavily impacted. As the tornado begun, with the first step of clearing roads
carved out its path of destruction, homes so that emergency vehicles had access to
The EF-1 tornado exited Fort sustained major structural damage, and citizens.
Oglethorpe, Georgia, destroying a handful trees were ripped out and tossed asunder.
of businesses while homes sustained Power poles were pushed into odd angles, At 6 a.m. several hundred first
varying degrees of damage. Knocking or snapped in half, cutting off electricity to responders were performing grid searches
down many trees and utility poles, residences, and making roads impassable. for those trapped in homes in the hardest-
the tornado made its way towards the hit areas. At 7:30 a.m., the Chattanooga
Tennessee border, weakening back to The most impacted area was the Drake Police Department posted on social media,
EF-0 intensity now as it pushed over the Forest neighborhood in East Brainerd. calling for reporters to attend a press
landscape, stripping tree branches and The tornado reached its peak in size at briefing at the Silverdale Baptist Church,
causing some roof damage. 1,500 yards wide, while still maintaining which became a unified command center.
the category EF-3, with 145 mph winds. At this time DPW crews continued on
The EF-0 tornado moved along the Well-built homes had roofs peeled off, to the next step to clear the roads for
I-75 corridor crossing into Tennessee. As authorized citizens and utility crews.
10 TPW July/August 2020
