By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Union City, Tenn.—The National Weather Service has officially declared that the tornado that hit Union City Saturday night was an EF-1. “A very strong EF1”, according to Obion County EMA Director Danny Jowers.
“That’s why they kept waffling between an EF-1 and an EF-2,” Jowers said, “because it was close to being either a strong EF-1 or a weak EF-2. But in the end, they said we were hit by a very strong EF-1. Very close to being an EF-2.”
Jowers said, “That means we were hit by a tornado at over 100 mph.”
The track of the Union City tornado began on Lynn Street and moved northeast toward E. Orchard St., terminating at the Kenn-Tenn highway, he said. The total track lasted one and a half miles.
Jowers updated the number of people who were seriously injured in the storm to three. Two adults were transported to The Med in Memphis, where they remain, he said. “But they are doing very well now and will probably be released later this week.”
A third person was a child who was also injured in the trailer park that was hit (as were the other two adults). He said the boy received 24 staples in his back and was treated and released from Baptist Memorial Hospital in Union City. “We didn’t know about him earlier,” he said.
“But it’s the best we could have hoped for that they’re all going to be o.k.,” Jowers said.
A total of eight homes were destroyed and 41 received damage.
Photo: Aerial photo of Union City’s tornado damage by Air Evac.
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