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F2 tornado in Sumner County, Tennessee

Tornado November 10, 2002 · Sumner County, Tennessee

F2
Rating
2.6 mi
Path length
900 yd
Path width
6
Injuries
$500K
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 900 yards (0.51 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F2 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F2 meant considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted; the scale paired it with winds of 113–157 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

One person was hospitalized due to injuries from the tornado. The other 5 people were treated and released for their injuries. 7 homes were destroyed, 15 homes had major damage and 14 had minor damage. 5 mobile homes were destroyed, 3 with major damage and 2 with minor damage. One business was destroyed and 3 other businesses were damaged. Several goats and cattle were killed. The heaviest damage was at 404 Glen Have Rd. 2 mobile homes were destroyed and blown off their foundation. 18 outbuildings, 16 barns and 2 churches were damaged.A Chrysler Cirrus LX sedan was flipped and pushed 20 feet. A Ford Ranger truck flipped and rolled 90 feet. A 6 inch by 6 inch board was hurled through the roof of a modular home. Kirby Building Services located at 124 Kirby Road in the industrial park area, sustained 50 percent damage according to the Portland Fire Dept.

The wider storm

11 tornadoes were reported in Middle Tennessee in one of the worst tornadic outbreaks ever in November. 8 people...and possibly a ninth victim...were killed in Middle Tennessee alone. Damage estimate for the tornadoes in Tennessee was placed at $160 million. Primary losses were due to houses and cars. The toll on government owned infrastructure is about $6 million. The federal government is expected to reimburse the state and affected counties for 75% of the costs of responding to the disaster. The FEMA Public Assistance Program has obligated more than $3.6 million to assist local governments. These funds will be used to reimburse local governments for debris removal, the repair of public buildings and utilities, and overtime paid to police officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel.More than 900 families across the state applied for storm aid. This was the worst tornado disaster since the April3-4 outbreak in 1974. The United States Small Business Administration has approved more than 9.7 million dollars in disaster loans to assist disaster victims with repairing their property or replacing lost personal items. The 20 counties that are eligible for disaster assistance to individuals, households, and businesses were: Anderson, Bedford, Bledsoe, Carroll, Coffee, Crockett, Cumberland, Fentress, Gibson, Henderson, Madison, Marshall, Montgomery, Morgan, Roane, Rutherford, Scott, Sumner and Tipton and Van Buren.

Began near Portland (36.5833, -86.5833).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

10 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5322141. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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