County Mayor Jim Coppinger said Monday there have been two fatalities from Easter's powerful tornadoes - one not yet identified in order to give the county an opportunity to notify the family. There were 17 others injured. He said there were over 1,300 calls made to emergency dispatch on Sunday night, with over 500 being reports of structural or automobile collapses.
Concerning where displaced families went, he said, “They were set up at the YMCA, and then to the Super 8 Motel in Lookout Valley or the Spring Hill Suites in Ooltewah. It was about 45 families or 140 people who have been displaced in that immediate area who were given shelter.”
Director of Emergency Management Chris Adams said his office knew the storm would hit so quickly that people would have very little time to react. As he put it, “If you get a weather bulletin on your phone, it’s probably already on top of you. That’s how fast this thing was moving.”
County Mayor Coppinger said there would not be any figures given out in terms of the cost of damages until later. A team would need to go to each affected area in order to have an idea as to how much property was damaged, he said.
Anthony Cavallucci , the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Morristown, said he and his team would survey affected areas in order to assess damages. Mr. Cavalucci said the tornado was approximately 1,500 yards wide and was around nine miles long.
Mr. Cavalucci and County Mayor Coppinger both advocated for people to possess multiple ways of receiving news about storms. The alternative they endorsed was a battery-powered weather radio. Unlike cellphone notifications, this tool is not dependent upon cell service or electricity.
“We have been touting for years to have a weather radio with a battery backup,” said Mr. Cavalucci. “If you want to know about a tornado coming, get a weather radio.”
County Mayor Coppinger also explained the rationale behind not employing a storm siren of any kind. He said many people in the area live close to the nuclear plant, and that a nuclear siren sounds identical to the storm siren.
“We happen to live in a community where there is a nuclear plant, and that siren system is exactly what I heard in Nashville during the tornado,” said the county mayor. “There’s a real difference between a nuclear event where we want you to exit and not shelter in place. Where with a tornado, if you hear the siren you need to go shelter.”
Congressman Chuck Fleischmann assured Hamilton County that first responders would not run out of personal protective equipment, which is vital as the COVID-19 pandemic is still a major issue. He said he has been in constant communication with FEMA and TEMA, and that there is ample funds set aside for this kind of event.
Mayor Coppinger said that if any person would like to donate supplies to first responders or those affected, they should call 423-209-5401. They would then be directed as to how to contribute or what is needed.
“Today is a very sad day,” said County Mayor Coppinger. “We lost two of our citizens to fatalities and had 17 people who required hospital treatment. But let’s not forget that, even though we’ve covered a lot of areas for you, at the end of the day what is most important to all of us up here is the well-being of those people who are injured and the families of those who lost their lives, and we certainly grieve with their families.”