Earlier today Senator Alexander joined Governor Haslam, Senator Corker and local officials for a press conference updating Tennessee on the wildfires in Sevier County and a tour of the damage. Below are some photos from the press conference and briefing beforehand.
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, accompanied by U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, visited tornado-damaged areas in McMinn and Polk counties Friday after a visit to fire-ravaged Gatlinburg.
Polk and Meigs counties reported two deaths each, and several people were injured in McMinn when severe weather passed through the state overnight Tuesday, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA). Authorities have not released the names of the four victims.
TEMA said severe weather affected eight counties, confirming five tornadoes touched down, including an EF-3 tornado that struck the Ocoee community in Polk County and an EF-2 tornado that hit areas along State Road 307 in McMinn County.
"At the end of the day, what people really need are neighbors," Haslam said after listening to harrowing tornado stories shared by members of the Deerfield Estates neighborhood in McMinn. "We're in good shape in Tennessee. We've got a lot of neighbors."
Not far away, neighbors joked and laughed as they helped each other sort through the debris fields that used to be their homes. Red Cross teams intermingled with the community, performing damage assessments and providing food.
Until late Thursday night, State Road 307, which passes by the neighborhood, had been closed because of fallen trees and other obstacles. The storm shoved some homes off their foundations, while literally blowing others to pieces. The tornado sheared away the treetops in surrounding woods.
Resident Thomas Ming, chief of the Christianburg Volunteer Fire Department in Monroe County, told the governor and senators how the storm lifted up his house, shook it and then set it down about 15 feet away.
"It seemed like two hours," Ming said. "I'm sure it was only several seconds, but in there it was a lifetime."
Soon after, he and his neighbors scrambled to render aid to other neighbors severely injured in the storm, he said. The hardest thing was keeping the injured warm while they waited for ambulance crews to make it through the blocked road.
"We're big believers in helping everybody else," Ming said. "Stuff is replaceable, but there's people out there in worse shape than we are."
On Thursday, the governor declared a state of emergency as part of an executive order suspending certain state laws to speed up survivors' access to health care and other services. The state of emergency lasts until Jan. 30 and makes it unlawful for businesses and individuals to gouge prices for food, medicine, construction and other necessities.
"The citizens affected by the wildfires and severe storms have already been through so much, we want to make it easier for them to receive the care and services they need as they begin to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives," Haslam said when he issued the order.
The final dollar figure on storm damage has not been fully determined.
TEMA Director Patrick Sheehan, who accompanied the governor Friday, said the agency's next steps are to assess damage and submit requests for federal assistance, now that life safety matters are in hand.
"I expect we'll be done [with assessments] in five days," Sheehan said. "If not, we'll be pretty close."
Alexander said the important thing is to take the time to get it right.
"There's always a sense of urgency about this, but it's more important from the federal point of view for the state to take its time to gather all the information, to find out all the damage, so that you can make a better case for federal aid," Alexander said.
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @pleach_tfp.
Senator Alexander joined Governor Haslam, Senator Corker and local officials for a press conference updating Tennessee on the wildfires in Sevier County and a tour of the damage.
Senator Alexander joined Governor Haslam, Senator Corker and local officials for a press conference updating Tennessee on the wildfires in Sevier County and a tour of the damage.