The forecast was not foreboding for Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. But by noon, our on-call weekend staffers were charging their equipment as the unseasonably warm weather grew more ominous.
As night fell, seven tornadoes touched down across Middle Tennessee, killing seven people and injuring more than 80 others, as well as destroying 342 homes and damaging thousands.
WPLN journalists mobilized and were able to reach three communities on the first night, providing eyewitness reporting in real time.
Police are saying there were multiple fatalities in the Madison neighborhood of Nashville. These houses are right across the street from a large empty lot on a hill – there wouldn’t have been much to protect them from the tornado. pic.twitter.com/lfs4YBs06N
— Paige Southwick Pfleger (@PaigePfleger) December 10, 2023
I’m in the field in Dickson County, which was hit by the tornado — lots of trees down, power lines messed up, and homes damaged. pic.twitter.com/wp9PxBWkDw
— Rose Gilbert (@roseamgilbert) December 10, 2023
By Sunday morning we’d broken our weekend format and were delivering three newscasts per hour. That coverage is represented in the audio at the top of this entry, which consists of three consecutive newscasts between 8 and 9 a.m. on Dec. 10.
In all, 16 staffers participated in the first 24 hours of coverage, and WPLN anchored NPR’s national coverage with a dozen spots and live two-way interviews.
Digital coverage
In the first 24 hours, WPLN organized its digital coverage into three distinct web stories, each of which was consistently and holistically updated to incorporate the newest information. On the first night, the team began with rolling updates in a single post. The next morning, we developed one focused angle about the unusually difficult recovery conditions and a separate post focused on compiling resources — both for storm survivors and for those looking for ways to help.
Want to help after the Middle Tennessee tornadoes? Need help? Here’s where to turn.
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