Hospitals have treated nearly 150 people in the wake of tornadoes in central Tennessee early March 3, according to the American Hospital Association. The death toll currently stands at 24, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
Nashville faced the worst of the damage, with dozens of building collapsing and about 48,000 residents being left without power, according to NPR. Another 17,000 residents in Wilson County and 8,000 in Cumberland, Putnam and Jackson counties are also without power. Tennessee has declared a state of emergency.
"Over two-thirds of the length of Tennessee seems to have been damaged by storms," Patrick Sheehan, director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, told NPR and radio station WBUR.
At least six injured people were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville for treatment, which was not damaged in the storms, while 23 were transported to Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital in Lebanon, Tenn.
Putnam County, which reported the highest number of fatalities with 18, has set up a special morgue for those who died due to the deadly storms, according to NPR.
Eighty-eight Putnam County residents are being treated for injuries and another 77 people in the county are still missing, Putnam County leaders said in a news briefing, USA Today reports.
There are five open shelters in Tennessee, the emergency agency said, and damage assessments are ongoing.