TOWNSEND, Tenn. – Strong thunderstorms that left a trail of destruction and killed at least two people in Tennessee rolled down the mountains and the Tennessee River Valley.
The known fatalities were those of a motorcyclist and a camper, both in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Their names weren't immediately released.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that the storms barreled through the area late Thursday afternoon, bringing winds of up to 70 mph
National Weather Service meteorologist Sam Roberts in Morristown told The Daily Times the damage from storms Thursday was widespread and was mostly wind damage. Scattered storms were forecast for Friday, but Roberts did not anticipate as many watches and warnings being issued as on Thursday.
Wind flipped a houseboat on Chickamauga Lake at Chattanooga and two people were taken to a hospital.
Utility crews worked through the night restoring power from the Tri-Cities to Chattanooga.
WVLT in Knoxville reported that the one of those killed was a man riding a motorcycle on Little River Road when he was struck by a tree during the storm.
The second was a 41-year-old woman camping in the woods when a tree fell on her. She was at the Abrams Creek Campground when the tree struck her and three others.
A seven year-old girl who was struck went into cardiac arrest, but was revived when friends performed CPR. She was flown to a hospital.
Her father was also flown out after he suffered a broken back. Her mother was also injured, but less severely.
There were three more medical emergencies in the Cades Cove area.
Fifteen members of the Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad, along with several other agencies were assisting park rangers.
Rangers will continue to work Friday to ensure all visitors and staff are accounted for and begin to assess needs for emergency response in the park's backcountry, the park service said.
Cades Cove, the sublime former settlement that annually draws millions of visitors, was among the most seriously impacted parts of the Smokies. At least a dozen people suffered injuries in the park.
(The Associated Press Contributed To This Report.)
Photo Credit: WVLT
