McNairy County tornado, flooding caused estimated $30.3 million in damage
Gov. Bill Lee in McNairy County to survey storm damage and meet with survivors following severe weather and flooding that swept through the state overnight April 2. (Photo Office of Gov. Bill Lee):
The tornado that tore through McNairy County in West Tennessee early this month caused an estimated $30.3 million in damage, according to the county's emergency management agency.
An EF-3 tornado with a 43-mile storm track swept through the county early April 3, killing five people. Wind speeds reached up to 160 miles per hour.
The storm hit Selmer, the county's largest city and county seat, home to about 4,500 people. Those killed include three Selmer residents on New Bethel Road, one McNairy County resident on New Bethel Road and one McNairy County resident on Friendship Road, according to the Selmer Police Department.
Residents and business owners bore the brunt of property damage, with preliminary assessments totaling $27.6 million, the McNairy County Emergency Management Agency reported Friday.
Flooding caused by the storm system also damaged roads across the county. The local government response and the cost of damage to public property, roads, utilities, and government facilities totals around $2.7 million.
Of the 332 structures impacted by the storm, 108 were destroyed and 70 sustained major damage, McNairy County EMA reported on April 5.
The preliminary damage assessments will be sent to FEMA, the first step in determining whether McNairy County is eligible for federal assistance with disaster recovery. The Small Business Administration also assessed the damage to determine if the county is eligible for low-interest disaster loans.
A disaster declaration is needed for the county to receive federal aid.
Damage assessments are ongoing.
Tennessee has been under a federal Emergency Declaration since April 2, as severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding slammed West and Middle Tennessee.
Under the declaration, FEMA can provide equipment and resources to support emergency response, and direct federal assistance under the public assistance program will be provided at 75% federal funding, according to the agency.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
13 hours ago
- USA Today
Tropical Storm Cosme forms in the Pacific; severe thunderstorms spawn weekend tornadoes
Tropical Storm Cosme forms in the Pacific; severe thunderstorms spawn weekend tornadoes Show Caption Hide Caption NOAA, FEMA cuts will impact hurricane season, experts warn The Trump administration's budget cuts at NOAA and FEMA will have an adverse affect on how the U.S. responds to hurricanes, experts warn. All is quiet in the Atlantic hurricane basin as the second week of hurricane season begins, but the third storm of the season has formed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, west of Mexico, and the fourth could form later this week. In the Atlantic and Caribbean hurricane region, no tropical activity is expected within the next week, the National Hurricane Center said on June 8. But things are busy in the eastern Pacific. Tropical Storm Cosme formed June 8, about 665 miles south of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, the hurricane center said. Cosme could become a minimal hurricane, but is expected to dissipate by June 12. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Barbara lies between Cosme and Mexico, about 205 miles southwest of Zihuatanejo. It was expected to become a hurricane by the morning of June 9. The hurricane center forecasts its outer rainfall bands could drop 2 to 4 inches of rain on the coastal states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco through June 8, with the potential to cause localized flooding and landslides. Barbara could also bring life-threatening surf and rip currents along the coast of southwestern Mexico. Further south in the Pacific, a third low-pressure area is forecast to develop south of southern Mexico later in the week. Environmental conditions appear favorable for development, and it could become a tropical depression by June 13 or 14, the center said. If that becomes a tropical storm, it would be named Dalila. Severe thunderstorms spawn weekend tornadoes in the United States In the United States from June 7 to June 8, a swath of storms produced at least half a dozen tornadoes from Texas to Virginia, according to the Storm Prediction Center and National Weather Service. A tornado watch was in effect for the Washington D.C. area and parts of Virginia on June 8, where severe thunderstorms occurred. Two possible tornadoes were reported to the weather service in eastern Virginia near Chesapeake Bay on Sunday night, a touchdown that lasted less than a minute near Lerty, and a possible tornado in James City County. The weather service said more than 20 million people were under a severe thunderstorm watch across the southern plains and northern Texas. A storm chaser told the weather service in Lubbock, Texas, that high winds in one storm had blown a steeple off a church in Cee Vee on the evening of June 8, the forecast office reported. Elsewhere, a tornado was spotted in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, and one in Dallam County, Texas, where a barn was destroyed, the weather service said. Hailstorms pummeled the region, with reports of hail in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois on Sunday. The weather service has received more than 200 reports of hail larger than one inch in size since June 1. Just after midnight on June 9, more than 225,000 power outages were reported along the path of high winds and storms across the United States, including over 158,000 in Texas. Operation ICECHIP chasing Plains hail The Plains storms are proving fertile ground for a team of more than 100 researchers who are conducting field research for a groundbreaking project known as ICECHIP, supported by the National Science Foundation. The first collaborative U.S.-focused hail project in more than 40 years, it's expected to make a "generational leap forward" in understanding hail, study co-leader Victor Gensini, a Northern Illinois University atmospheric science professor, stated earlier in the spring. The team logged more than half a dozen reports to the weather service over the weekend. Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covers climate change, weather, the environment, and other news. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Severe storms threaten Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals Game 2 tonight: Could it be delayed?
When the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, there will be plenty of thunder and severe weather happening outside Paycom Center in the Oklahoma City metro. Current projections from the National Weather Service forecast severe storms to start after 4 p.m. at the earliest and continue until 11 p.m. at the latest over Oklahoma City. These storms are predicted to create wind gusts up to 80 mph and up to baseball-sized hail near OKC. More risky severe weather is expected in southwestern Oklahoma, but conditions can always worsen quickly. Here is what to know about severe weather chances in Oklahoma City going into Game 2 on Sunday. According to forecasts from the NWS Norman station, the Oklahoma City metro could see rain starting between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Severe weather should end by 11 p.m. in the metro, but severe weather watches, if issued, could be extended. The southeast winds could have gusts higher than 80 mph throughout the metro, even though there is low potential for a tornado. The metro area is only at an "enhanced risk" of seeing severe weather on Sunday night. Yet, these forecasts include hail up to a softball size. As of 4 p.m., the NWS has issued warnings only in southwestern Oklahoma. According to FEMA guidelines, the best places to be during a storm are a storm shelter or a basement. If you are unable to reach a shelter or a basement, FEMA recommends going to the innermost room, hallway, or closet on the lowest level of the building. According to Lucy Albers, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Paycom, the facility is prepared to accommodate for any severe weather conditions. For starters, she noted that the facility typically doesn't allow umbrellas, but due to the weather, they will make an exception and allow guests to bring them in. Because of the gambit of weather events Oklahoma can be presented, Albers also said they have to be prepared for everything. "We're a large sporting event facility in Oklahoma, so this is not the first time we've had events in some severe weather," Albers said. Leading up to events, Albers noted that leadership has discussions with the staff regarding safety protocols. During the event, the security manager is in direct contact with individuals at the NWS and staying up to date on all possibilities. Should the storm continue after the final whistle blows and remain severe enough, Albers said the Paycom Center is likely to hold guests in longer to ensure they stay as safe as possible, following a shelter-in-place protocol. Both officials with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Albers stated that should the weather become severe enough, the NBA holds the ability to make a call regarding gameplay; however, it would be communicated effectively to all parties involved. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: NBA Finals: OKC storms could impact Thunder-Pacers game, what to know
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
NC must be ready to pay for hurricane recovery if FEMA loses funding, Gov. Stein says
North Carolina legislators may need to put hundreds of millions of dollars into the state's rainy-day fund to help with hurricane relief in case the federal government stops supporting disaster recovery, Gov. Josh Stein says. At a press conference marking the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, Stein said Thursday that President Donald Trump's cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency could leave states on their own to fund disaster recovery. Cuts to the federal agency that provides emergency aid to individuals and communities after events such as hurricanes, floods and fires constitutes 'a man-made disaster,' Stein said. The governor also said he was concerned about cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, whose National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service forecasts provide the basis for weather-related planning to keep people out of harm's way. 'We are heading into this hurricane season with more uncertainty than usual,' Stein said, because funding for FEMA and NOAA are both in flux. Forecasters at NOAA and Colorado State University both have said they expect a busier-than-average hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. NOAA's forecasters say the Atlantic and Gulf coasts should expect 13 to 19 named storms in 2025. Of those, six to 10 are forecast to become hurricanes, including three to five that could be major hurricanes, Category 3 or stronger, with winds of at least 111 mph. The Atlantic basin has been in a period of more frequent hurricanes that are stronger and more destructive than in the past, probably due in part to climate change, researchers say. Hurricane Helene, which came ashore on Florida's Gulf Coast last September, was a tropical storm by the time it reached North Carolina, but has been blamed for 107 deaths in the state and caused more than $53 billion in damage, according to estimates made in October. As of May 30, FEMA said it had given North Carolina more than $656 million through the Public Assistance program, which funds state and local governments' response and recovery work, including road repair, debris removal and infrastructure repair. Through FEMA's Public Assistance program, the state received more than $484 million at a 100% federal cost share for 180 days, funding projects for road repair, debris removal, critical infrastructure repair and more. Since Jan. 20, 2025, more than $172 million in Public Assistance reimbursements has been approved to support the recovery efforts in North Carolina. The agency says it also has approved more than $455 million to help storm survivors pay for food, medicine, housing and home repairs, and another $22.4 million to repair private roads and bridges damaged by Helene. Stein and William Ray, the state's director of emergency management, said the beginning of hurricane season is a good time to start an emergency kit, which could be filled and ready to go when the season ramps up in North Carolina, usually beginning in August. has specific guidance on what to put into a hurricane kit and information on evacuation zones and routes. This story was produced with financial support from the Hartfield Foundation and Green South Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. If you would like to help support local journalism, please consider signing up for a digital subscription, which you can do here.
