The identities of more victims in the Tuesday’s Tennessee tornado have been released. On Wednesday morning, Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter released the names and ages of five children and 13 adults, all killed in the storm. The list was reported by local news station WKRN.
Five children were killed in Putnam County, Tennessee in Tuesday’s tornado. They are 3 or 4-year-old Hattie Collins, 6 or 7-year-old Dawson Curtis, 2 or 3-year-old Sawyer Kimberlin, 4 or 5-year-old Harlan Marsh and 12 or 13-year-old Bridget (Ann Marie) McCormick.
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The county lost 13 adults in the storm as well. They include 34-year-old Amanda Cole, 54-year-old Terry Curtis, 67-year-old Patricia Lane and 28-year-old Leisha Littenberry.
The ages of the other victims have not been specified yet, but they include Jessica Clark (a woman in her 30s), Joshua Kimerblin (a man in his 30s), Erin Kimberlin (a woman in her 30s), Todd Koehler (a man in his 50s), Sue Koehler (a woman in her 50s), Stephanie Fields (a woman in her 30s), Jamie Smith (a woman aged between 30 and 35) and Keith and Cathy Selby, whose ages were not estimated.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency originally reported the death toll in Putnam County to be 19, but the number was reduced on Tuesday night. The agency determined that one of the deaths was not related to the tornado.
On Tuesday night, officials noted that approximately 80 people remained “unnaccounted for” after the storm. That number dropped to 18 people on Wednesday morning. The list was also published by WKRN.
Putnam County is one of the hardest-hit areas in the storm, reeling from severe property damage and tragic loss of life. If that were not enough, the Putnam County Sheriff revealed that there was at least one instance of looting in the community, where a person was seen picking through the wreckage of homes looking for prescription pills.
Public figures have been speaking out about the shocking blow to their communities and the long process of rebuilding. Mayor Porter lamented the loss of so many lives, remarking that the storm had hit while people had their guards down.
“There were some children, I’m sorry to say,” Porter said. “We are still working to find out ages. It hit so fast, most of these folks were sleeping.”
“This is an absolutely tragic and devastating day for our city and county,” added Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton. “Our first ask is for prayers for our families, community and responders that are out there and have been out there almost 10 hours searching and rescuing and working through that.”
