Nashville Tornado: Kelsea Ballerini Urges Fans to Start ‘Helping and Healing’ Following Devastation

As the death toll following the tornado that tore through Nashville early Tuesday morning rises to 10, Kelsea Ballerini is urging fans to do their part to help those impacted by the deadly storm. Ballerini spoke out on social media shortly after the tornado tore through Music City early in the morning, admitting her heart was broken by the news.

“Oh nashville,” the Tennessee native tweeted. “Broken heart very sad morning. how do we start to help? point me in the right direction and let’s start helping and healing.”

Reba McEntire shared a similar message on social media, along with a photo of the damage left in Nashville after the tornado tore through the city.

“My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the Nashville area affected by the tornado last night,” McEntire wrote. “Even if the tornado didn’t hit our personal space, we are all affected because we are Nashvillians. My heart hurts for Nashville this morning.”

In addition to the loss of 10 lives, more than 30 rescue workers suffered injuries sustained during their recovery efforts. Over 40 buildings were also destroyed, including the popular music club, The Basement East.

“A tornado skipped across the county,” Nashville mayor John Cooper told the Tennessean early Tuesday morning. “You do have people at the hospital, and frankly there have been fatalities.”

“I would just encourage everybody to hug their loved ones and thank the first responders who are out tonight doing an incredible job,” he also stated. “They’ve rehearsed for this and we’re glad that they have.”

Governor Bill Lee also spoke out about the storms, during a press conference held in Nashville early Tuesday morning.

“The reports are just coming in,” Lee stated. “These tornadoes struck down in number of places around the state…knowing who is missing and who is not is hard at this point.”

“It is heartbreaking,” he continued. “We have had loss of life all across the state. Four different counties, as of this morning, had confirmed fatalities.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Mickey Bernal