May 6, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
A tornado touched down in Smithville Monday afternoon causing structure damage and downed utility lines and trees mainly on the north and eastern portions of the city and county especially along Allen’s Ferry Road and North Congress Boulevard (Highway 56 North). No serious injuries were reported.
The first Tornado Warning alert for DeKalb County was issued by the National Weather Service at 4:24 p.m. followed by another alert six minutes later that a tornado was confirmed by radar and located over Smithville moving east at 25 miles per hour.
Local businessman Jared Davis of Davis Auto Body on West Broad Street, who captured a video of the tornado, said he was working in his shop when he received a weather alert by phone. Davis said he then got on the computer and pulled up the radar on a Nashville television station and saw that the storm was approaching.
“I was looking on the radar to see if I could pinpoint it and noticed that it seemed to be coming really close to my shop. I then contacted my wife and kids who were at Northside Elementary School with a large group for Literacy Night because I knew it was going in that direction. After that I went outside with another guy who works for me and we looked up and he pointed it out. I got my phone out and started videoing it. I had never seen a tornado before,” said Davis.
Davis’s wife, Kelli said after getting warnings on their phones, everyone at the school was instructed to take shelter in the cafeteria.
The school was not hit and no one there was injured.
Just a short distance from the school, the tornado destroyed the home of Joe and Polly Payne at 550 North Congress Boulevard just outside the city limits.
“My husband and I were at home. We were in our den. I heard the notifications go off that they send on the phone and I told Joe that we need to get to the basement. I didn’t see it coming but I could hear it although I wasn’t sure that is what I was hearing but I didn’t want to take any chances,” said Ms. Payne. I jumped up and ran in front of him and he was following right behind me. I thought he was closer than he was. I had already gotten to the bottom of the steps and I was yelling are you behind me. On the way down the steps I was saying help us Jesus. By the time that happened, the noise was over and it was already getting quiet again. Joe finally answered me and I got back up the steps and we assessed the damage. Neither of us had a scratch,” said Ms. Payne.
DeKalb Emergency Management Agency Director Charlie Parker said the storm damaged or destroyed outbuildings, barns, and homes, uprooted trees, and downed utility lines along its path but there were no serious injuries.
“I have only had a report of one minor injury and that was in the Sligo area across the river where a tree had fallen down and a lady was hurt. We don’t really think that was from the tornado. It was probably more from just straight line winds. As of now that’s the only report of injuries we have had through all of this. We are extremely lucky considering the damage we received,” said Parker.
“The storm looks to have started behind the (high school and middle school) around the soccer field. It took a fence down at the soccer field and then continued on down Allen’s Ferry Road on both sides of the road affecting power lines and trees. It got some outbuildings and houses along Allen’s Ferry Road causing a lot of roof damage. Two outbuildings were completely destroyed. It then went across Highway 56 causing substantial damage to one house (the Joe and Polly Payne residence) and moderate damage to another across the road (the Butch Ludwig residence),” Director Parker continued.
“Because of the path taken by tornadoes before in the Allen’s Ferry Road area, we had the sheriff’s department and fire department check out Highway 56 north and down Holiday Haven and Puckett’s Point but there wasn’t anything significant, so this one evidently lifted after it crossed Highway 56,” said EMA Director Parker.
Along with the damaging winds and heavy rains, Parker said the storm produced nickel sized hail in the Smithville area.
Among the responding agencies and utility companies were DeKalb Emergency Management, Smithville Police and Fire, DeKalb EMS, DeKalb Sheriff and Fire Departments, and Smithville Electric, Caney Fork Electric, and DTC Communications.