Devastating tornado rips through downtown Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tornadoes ripped across Tennessee early Tuesday, killing at least eight people. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency confirmed the preliminary death toll as first responders search the wreckage.

One twister hit downtown Nashville, collapsing about 40 buildings around the city.

One of the destroyed buildings was a concert venue that had just held an event for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders ahead of Super Tuesday voting. Nashville Mayor John Cooper and the sheriffs of Putnam and Benton counties reported the fatalities across a landscape littered with blown-down buildings, snapped power lines and huge broken trees.

The tornado near downtown reportedly stayed on the ground into Hermitage, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of the city.

Gerlock asked that the public avoid the airport until further notice and that the Airport Authority has activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate response.

A video posted online from east Nashville showed what appeared to be a well-defined tornado moving quickly across the city. Lightning repeatedly flashed while much of the city was in the dark. The whir of the wind could be heard gusting after the tornado moved out of sight.

Here's a longer clip of the #tornado as it was coming into view. You can clearly see the debris cloud and power flashes as it approaches then passes just north of downtown #Nashville pic.twitter.com/RKXthMd7IG
— Sam Shamburger (@shamnadoes) March 3, 2020

A reported gas leak forced an evacuation of the IMT building in the Germantown community, according to WSMV-TV. Photos showed dozens of people in the street carrying their belongings not long after the tornado moved through the city.

Two tornado warnings in Putnam County, east of Nashville, were reported a short time later. The National Weather Service said the tornadoes were confirmed on radar.

Jeff Roberts of the Elections Commission said in a statement early Tuesday that information about damage to polling stations is being collected as polls open for Super Tuesday. Any voter in Davidson County whose assigned precinct has been impacted may vote at the Election Commission Offices, the statement said. Polls open at various times, starting at 7 a.m. CST, depending on the county.

The storm system was forecast to bring an isolated tornado, damaging winds and large hail, news outlets reported. Heavy rain was expected to impact Gulf Coast states over the next several days, according to WTVF-TV.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

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Debris scattered across an intersection Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in downtown Nashville, Tenn. The National Weather Service in Nashville confirmed a tornado touched down in the area. (Celia Darrough via AP)

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(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

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(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

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(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

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(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)