VIDEO: Tornado Touches Down In Robertson County
SEE VIDEOS BELOW
SPRINGFIELD TENNESSEE: (Smokey Barn News) – Good news first, no serious injuries, and (believe it or not) no serious damage to homes. Smokey Barn News checked with the Robertson County Emergency Management Agency, 911 dispatch, and Robertson County EMS, there are no reports of any residential properties suffering significant damage. Officials said that might change in the morning following a thorough evaluation of the damage but at the moment, all Robertson Countians are in their homes this evening. Springfield Utilities and CEMC also restored power at record speeds. 
The bad news: A fair number of businesses are either heavily damaged or destroyed, all in and around Kroger. It’s not clear how much time Kroger will need to be operational but there is at least some damage to their facade and some risk of falling debris as well as a ton of debris in the parking lot. Two cars were picked up and tossed into a ditch at the edge of the parking lot. The Kroger gas station has also sustained heavy damage, no injuries were reported.
Jet’s Pizza is all but gone, and Ascension Saint Thomas Urgent Care sustained heavy damage. Employees were inside the structure when the tornado hit but all made it to safety. The AT&T Store was also heavily damaged. Valvoline Instant Oil Change was just about ripped apart. Employees said they saw it coming and took cover in one of the pits, again no injuries were reported there. 
Holman Jewelers was also hit pretty hard. It will take daylight to understand the full scope of the damage but the outer facade took a beating for sure. We have added several video reports of the damage below.
First Responder report…
The amount of people out on the roads slowed first responder access but all in all, things went smoothly, said Robertson County EMS Director Brent Dyer.
“EMA Deputy Director Blake Pierce was monitoring radar and advised us all in the office that a tornado was likely about to touchdown, literally minutes later the NWS issued the updated tornado emergency, Dyer said. “We held all calls and staged in the safety of our building for a few minutes until it was safe to respond.
“Incident Command was deployed and a triage system was implemented. The first injured person was from a commercial structure collapse in the area of Blackpatch Dr and Memorial Blvd.. An adult female was transported to TriStar NorthCrest. Other units responded to a nearby commercial building for reported trapped people inside, thankfully all were able to get out and none required EMS transport. Several calls came in for medical emergencies due to people who are on oxygen experiencing troubles breathing from the power outage affecting the oxygen machines and complications with their back up systems.
“Medical calls continued to come in, including cardiac emergencies, car accidents, an child having an asthma attack, an unresponsive person and multiple falls, most of which were due to people making their way quickly to their safe spaces in their homes to seek shelter from the tornado. Some fell due to the darkness and panic once the electricity went out amongst the chaos following the tornado. One adult male suffered a possibly serious injury from falling down steps. Robertson EMS had sent two advanced life support ambulances to Montgomery County to provide mutual aid. One of those units had to turn around and take shelter locally and ended up responding in Springfield once the tornado struck here in Robertson County.
“Everyone did their jobs and did them very well, I am very proud of everyone who responded and our dispatch personnel with the Robertson County ECC/911 center did a wonderful job coordinating all the responses. We had great support and preparation with the team at NorthCrest Medical Center. We worked with the State Office of EMS to coordinate mutual aid responses given and received. Multiple off-duty EMS personnel rushed in from their homes to help staff additional ambulances and help wherever needed.
“Robertson County is blessed with so many wonderful people, and we are always ready to help take care of each other. We were very fortunate to not see worse injuries or fatalities. Our thoughts and prayers go out to our neighbors in Montgomery County where they saw loss of life from these storms. We pray for continued healing of those injured. In the meantime, please avoid these areas if possible.
“We ask people to stay out of and away from damaged structures and be mindful of hazards during the clean-up. We know the morning sunrise will paint a different picture than what we can see this evening. There will be a lot of distractions while driving and many traffic lights will likely still be out. PLEASE remember to treat inoperable traffic lights at intersections like a 4-way stop.
“We are concerned that there will be an increase in vehicle accidents as people get out and about in the coming days. Please be safe and pay very careful attention to these areas affected by the storm damage.”
FOOD: Willie Mae’s Barbeque in downtown Springfield across from the post office is offering free food for first responders, powerline workers, or anyone in need of a hot meal due to the recent tornado. “Come on by, we have a lunch with your name on it!”
BELOW: We have added several videos of the tornado, its aftermath, and damage.
A MESSAGE FROM EMA
RAW VIDEO..
RAW VIDEO
Mobile: To See The Latest Stories or to share this article, scroll below
