Clean up from deadly storm continues

Mar. 10--Wilson County continues to recover from the tornado that struck in the early morning hours of March 3, with power restored to all but a few people and nearly all roads open -- but no one is saying things are back to normal.

"Normal for us will not be normal," Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto said Monday. "Normal for us will be a new normal."

Hutto said the community response to the destruction and tragedy of the loss of three lives has been inspiring.

"With all tragedies there is a silver lining," he said. "To see so many people go out and help their neighbors, to see all these local agencies work together, that's been a tremendous lift."

Hutto praised the work of Wilson County Emergency Management, the Wilson County Sheriff's Office, and the Lebanon and Mt. Juliet police departments in the immediate aftermath of the storm and through the weekend.

And with clean up well underway, he gave a "hats off" to county road superintendent Steve Murphy and county solid waste manager Cindy Lynch.

"The landfill is absorbing all this," he said.

Power has been restored to all but a few dozen properties, according to Adam Elrod, a spokesman with Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corp..

"We've still got crews out working in the county," he said, adding that most of what's left are residences and businesses that can't have power restored until other work is done.

While the major restoration work is done, some of it is of a relatively temporary nature.

"We're going to have to rebuild some things we did not rebuild this time around," he said. "Some sections and circuits will have to be redone."

The Wilson County Sheriff's Office is close to resuming normal activity, according to Lt. Scott Moore.

"We're still providing security out in a few areas," he said.

Moore again urged residents to be cautious of who they hire to help clean up and repair.

"Do not pay cash up front until the service has been rendered," he said, adding it all to easy to slap a magnetic sign on the side of a vehicle and appear legitimate.

Hutto said residents and business owners should be sure to apply for federal assistance, regardless of their status with private insurance.

People affected by the disaster can apply online at www.disasterassistance.gov or call 800-621-3362.

The federal Small Business Administration is offering physical and economic injury disaster loans to Wilson County businesses. A Business Recovery Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church, 2708 Jefferson St., in Nashville. Online applications are available at disasterloan.sba.gov.

And the U.S. Department of Agriculture is asking for assistance in assessing damage to farmland and any loss of livestock as a result of the storm. For more information, go to www.fsa.usda.gov/disaster.

___

(c)2020 The Lebanon Democrat, Tenn.

Visit The Lebanon Democrat, Tenn. at www.lebanondemocrat.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.