Wednesday night’s tornado in Maury County uprooted hundreds of trees, downed power lines and destroyed some homes. On Cothran Road, residents were in the direct line of impact from the storm.

Charlie White got home right before the worst part of the storm came. He was standing outside watching it when he got an alert on his phone to shelter in place. So, he went inside. 

“And I turned the TV on, and about two seconds later, it went off,” White said. “So, it was dead quiet, and it was exactly like everybody says. You hear this low rumble. And I’m thinking, ‘Oh boy, I know what that is.’”

He went to the window when the rumbling grew and saw what he estimates was a quarter-mile-wide tornado about 200 yards away, heading northeast — in the direction of his neighbor Tammy Johnson’s home.

Blaise Gainey WPLN News

Tammy Johnson’s home on Cothran Road in Columbia after Wednesday night’s tornado.

Johnson was asleep at the time but woke up when her sister called to let her know to shelter in place. 

“I got up, and the windows busted in. And I knew. It’s like in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ actually, the way it felt and stuff,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s portico and front wall to her second floor had blown away in the storm. She could now see right out into the street from the top of the stairway, but it was blocked. To her luck, a group of men were in earshot because their truck had flipped over from the winds.

“And they said, ‘Are you okay?’” Johnson recalled. “And I said, ‘Please get me out of here.’ Because I didn’t know if it was going to fall or not.”

Storm surveyors with the National Weather Service rated the tornado as EF-3 level, with winds of 140 mph. The length of the tornado’s path has not been determined.

Johnson’s house is still standing, but the property took immense damage. Her sheds were all blown away. A farmhouse she had was ripped apart. And the only thing left of the pool house was the base of a toilet seat.

Blaise Gainey WPLN News

Tammy Johnson’s pool is filled with debris after the tornado.

Despite all that, Johnson seemed in good spirits. 

“I’m very lucky to be alive,” Johnson said.

After the storm passed, Charlie White went outside and took in the devastation.

“The road was just covered up with trees and everything else,” White said.

But residents and volunteers were swift in trying to clear the roads.

“What’s amazing is there were so many people out here so quick,” White said, “especially the power company. They were out here within an hour.”

Blaise Gainey WPLN News

Volunteers began the process of tornado recovery Thursday morning, as they take chainsaws to felled trees.

Dave Huber lives with his wife on Cothran Road. From what they could tell, their home took on no damage, but they drove around nearby Thursday morning and saw exactly how bad it got. 

“Our immediate area, it missed it, but … down to Tom Osborne (Road) this way, all the trees are down,” Huber said. “The path it went — all the power lines, all the poles are laying in the streets. Power lines everywhere. There’s a trampoline up in the one power line that’s standing over there.”

Electric companies are working to restore power after more than 6,500 power outages were reported Thursday morning.

Officials are urging people to consider monetary donations to the Maury County Trustee’s Office.

Gov. Bill Lee posted on social media that he’d be touring the area to access damage.

This afternoon, I will tour storm damage across Maury County & meet with families, first responders & local officials.

We continue to urge Tennesseans to follow local guidance for key resources, safety information & community updates.

— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) May 9, 2024