Four dead in Tennessee after storms sweep through

At least four people are confirmed dead in Tennessee after storms swept through the state from Friday into Saturday.

An additional 10 people sustained injuries, according to The New York Times, and Alex Pellom, chief of staff for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, said 64 others were “walking wounded.”

One person was reported missing in Lake County, Tennessee, the Times reported.

Winds swept through Tennessee overnight on Friday, exceeding 80 miles per hour at some moments, the newspaper noted, adding that tens of thousands of homes in the state still did not have power on Saturday night.

Three localities are in the northwestern corner of the state — Lake County, Obion County and Dresden, which is in Weakley County — saw the most damage from the severe storms, according to the Times. 

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said the damage is estimated at “multiple millions of dollars.”

“We’re reminded that in just a moment, livelihoods are lost and lives are changed forever, and we saw that across our state today,” Lee said at a news conference, the Times added.

Severe storms and tornadoes ripped through a handful of states in the South and Midwest overnight on Friday, leaving localities with a significant amount of damage.

In Kentucky, at least 70 people died as a result of the weather, and tens of thousands of individuals were left without power.

Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas also saw severe weather.

President Biden on Saturday said the impact from the storms and tornadoes was “a tragedy.”

“I want folks in all these states to know we’re going to get through this. We’re going to get through this together and the federal government is not going to walk away,” he added.

The president said he called Lee and the governors of other affected states, adding that the storms are “likely to be one of the largest tornado outbreaks in our history.”

He also said he spoke with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).