By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–Henry County Emergency Management officials continue damage assessment this morning following Wednesday night’s severe storms that hit the county, destroying residences, buildings, and barns and leaving families displaced. One business was destroyed.
County Emergency Management Agency Director Ron Watkins said his office has requested the National Weather Service to investigate the damage to determine whether the damage was caused by a tornado or straight-line winds and to determine the strength of the winds that hit the county.
Preliminary estimates by Watkins indicate moderate to major damage to at least 40 homes and 10 mobile homes. One commercial business and three mobile homes were destroyed. Several trees were down on homes causing major damage. Watkins said, “We were very fortunate to have had no major injuries with the amount of serious damage caused by this storm.”
Sheriff Josh Frey said this morning, “I’m sure we’re going to see a lot more of the damage now that it’s daylight. But all in all, we’re fortunate we didn’t have more injuries. The worst injury I saw last night was a man who lived in one of the trailers with his family who received a puncture wound in the back of his leg but it didn’t need stitches. We’re just very lucky. As bad as it was, we’re lucky not to have more injuries.”
Henry County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway was on the scene during the storm and its aftermath along with Sheriff Frey, Watkins, Paris Police Chief Ricky Watson, sheriff’s deputies, Paris BPU, County Highway Department, County EMS and Rescue Squad, the Paris Landing Volunteer Fire Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, the State Emergency Management Agency and the Henry County EMA.
Ridgeway said from the scene last night that the Red Cross had been called and was assisting the families that had been displaced.
Watkins said the building for Lakeway Auto Sales on the corner of Hwy. 79N and Sulphur Wells Academy Road was destroyed by the storm. Several classic cars were stored in the metal building.
The severe weather hit Henry County early Wednesday evening. Slow moving severe thunderstorms began showing on radar indicating rotation, Watkins said, and a “Tornado Warning” was issued at 6:11 pm for northwestern Henry County.
The storm then moved east across northern Henry County through the communities of Cottage Grove and Puryear. At 6:54 pm another “Tornado Warning” was issued for areas in northwest Henry County as the storm moved to the east, Watkins said.
Tornado sirens in Cottage Grove and Paris Landing sounded. Members of the Sulphur Well Church of Christ were at Wednesday night services, heard the sirens and moved into the basement of the church until the all clear was sounded. Patrons of the Carmelita’s Restaurant near Paris Landing also heard the sirens and left the restaurant rapidly, while residents of homes and trailer parks took shelter as best they could.
Standing in her front yard, Nancy Helms Holland took a photo of a funnel cloud bearing down on the Como area. The photo was posted on our website last night.
At the storm’s height, some 900 customers of Paris Board of Public Utilities were without power due to the downed power poles, trees and lines. BPU crews worked through the night and as of 4 a.m. this morning, had restored power to all customers.
In a Facebook post early this morning, BPU officials said, “Thank you for your patience, kind words and encouragement throughout the restoration process. As new line of storms move through the county this morning, our crews remain ready to serve.”
BPU Director Terry Wimberley said this morning, “That storm packed a punch when it hit, but it wasn’t very widespread.”
Watkins said personal reports were made to Emergency Management officials indicating seeing a rotating storm cloud around 6:58 pm moving through the Hwy 79N and Log Cabin Rd areas of Henry County. Reports of damage to trees, utility poles, homes and barns began to come in from areas northwest of Paris on following roads:
Antioch Harbor Estates Rd
Buchanan Rd
Cowpath Rd
Oak Grove Rd
Log Cabin Rd
Hwy 79 N
Friendship Rd
Forsythe Rd
Shady Grove Rd
Sulphur Wells Academy Rd
West Antioch Rd
Watkins said, “The McKenzie Mobile Home Park located at 8345 Hwy 79N was heavily damaged with two mobile homes blown over onto their sides and another blown off its foundation. One of those homes was occupied by a family of four with two children. One adult was treated for a minor injury by EMS there at the park. The other mobile home was unoccupied. Four other mobile homes there sustained moderate damage. The Jackson Chapter of the Red Cross assisted five families there who were displaced by the storm.”
Motorists are urged to use caution in the morning as roadways in some areas could still have debris or utility lines.
Top photo by Paris Police Chief Ricky Watson.
Photo by Sheriff Josh Frey
Photo by Sheriff Frey
Photo by County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway
Photo of business destroyed on Hwy. 79N by Meagan Jackson.
