Tennessee is now under a state of emergency, as tornadoes tore through the Nashville area Tuesday morning, leaving at least 22 dead and an undetermined number of people still missing as of mid-day.
The death toll was 9 early this morning, but jumped to 22 by midday as bodies were recovered from fallen buildings. People are still missing, as search and rescue missions continue. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said that the number of fatalities is likely to increase by the end of the day.
The devastation has come on Tennesee’s presidential primary day, and authorities said that 15 out of 169 polling places have been damaged.
Just hours before voting is set to begin, the state’s election commission has created alternative places for people assigned to the damaged polling locations to vote. Officials encouraged residents to check whether their polling place is affected.
The tornadoes destroyed at least 48 buildings and have left at least 50,000 people without power. The National Weather Service estimates the power of the storm to be at least an EF-3, a severe tornado with winds at 136-165 mph.
See CBS News.