12 Tornadoes Unleash Fury on Tennessee

A dozen tornadoes raked Tennessee early Saturday, pitching parked cars 300 feet and injuring nearly four dozen people.

No deaths were reported.

“That’s a real miracle when you look at the damage,” said Todd Womack, spokesman for Erlanger Medical Center.

Furious thunder and hail, followed by deafening wind, sent Kelly and Trudy Smith and their 10-year-old son, Shannon, into the basement. Minutes later, a pine tree crashed through their roof.

“I was glad I recognized the sound and we could run for cover,” Kelly Smith said.

Some of the worst damage was at the 180-unit Hickory Villa Apartments in Chattanooga, where about half of the units were demolished. Vehicles parked there were picked up and dropped 300 feet away--on the other side of 45-foot-tall buildings.

“It will take us a couple of days to account for everybody,” said Fire Chief Jim Coppinger. “It’s not the best of circumstances, with the debris, people leaving on their own and it being Easter weekend and people out of town.”

Two of the injured were in critical condition, Womack said. At least 44 people were treated for cuts and bruises.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said 12 tornadoes touched down shortly after midnight. Property damage was reported in 12 counties.

The same weather system produced six tornadoes in Kentucky late Friday, killing two people.