Weather
2 dead, 3 injured after tornado in Deer Lodge, Morgan County
The Tennessee Highway Patrol has deployed at least 30 troopers to assist in response efforts.
Morgan County officials have confirmed that a tornado swept through the area on Thursday night, resulting in two fatalities and injuring three others in the Deer Lodge and Sunbright communities.
According to Aaron Evans, spokesperson for Morgan County Emergency Management, a mother and daughter lost their lives in the storm.
The three injured individuals sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and no additional fatalities are expected at this time.
Emergency crews from local, county, and state agencies continue to conduct search and rescue operations.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol has deployed at least 30 troopers to assist in response efforts.
Authorities have established an Emergency Operations Center at Wartburg Central High School to coordinate relief efforts.
The storm caused significant disruptions to power, phone, and internet services in the affected areas.
Officials are urging residents to stay away from impacted locations to allow emergency crews to work safely and efficiently.
In Sunbright, the severe weather prompted a temporary halt to a high school basketball game after a tornado warning was issued.
Players and spectators took shelter before the game resumed once the storm had passed.
The National Weather Service is expected to release its final damage assessment for Morgan County by 4 p.m. Friday.
Officials continue to assess the extent of the destruction and provide assistance to those affected.
A suspected tornado tore through Morgan County, Tennessee, on Thursday night, claiming the lives of a mother and daughter and injuring three others.
The deadly storm was part of a larger winter weather system that caused widespread destruction across the eastern United States.
According to the Morgan County Emergency Management & Homeland Security Office, the tornado struck the small communities of Deer Lodge and Sunbright at approximately 8:27 p.m., causing severe property damage.
Among the fatalities were Wendy Smith, 45, and her daughter, Felicia Williams, 22, who were in the same home when the storm hit.
Wendy’s husband, identified as Smith, shared his grief publicly, remembering his wife and stepdaughter as inseparable in both life and death.
“My beautiful and loving wife Wendy Smith is gone at the age of 45. Her friendly and beautiful daughter Felicia Williams is gone with her mother. Felicia is forever 22 years old. As in life, they were inseparable at their deaths,” he said.
Smith described Wendy as a devoted mother and hardworking employee of Williams Market, where she had worked for more than 20 years.
Felicia, he said, had been pursuing her dream of becoming a healthcare professional, dedicating herself to helping others.
“Wendy loved watching reality TV and getting her nails done. She was shy and quiet but possessed a passion for her family that is incomparable,” Smith shared. “Felicia loved Tim Burton movies and was so excited about the new and final season of Stranger Things coming out. She loved her friends, family, and her Starbucks coffee.”
The loss has been especially devastating for Wendy’s 18-year-old son, Peyton, who is now without the two people closest to him.
“Our grief is immeasurable,” Smith said. “We both appreciate the outpouring of sympathy, prayers, and love.”
More than 100 emergency responders have been deployed across Morgan County to assist with search and rescue operations.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol has dispatched a specialized strike team to aid in locating any missing persons and assessing the damage.
As daylight broke Friday morning, damage assessments began in the hardest-hit areas. Aaron Evans, spokesperson for the Morgan County Emergency Management Agency, said teams are now working to determine the full extent of destruction.
“We’ll get a better picture of what the scene looks like, how much damage there is,” Evans said. “Teams will be able to get a better grip and grasp on the area to see how many homes were damaged.”
At 9:45 a.m. Friday, approximately 8% of Morgan County remained without power, according to PowerOutage.us. The storm also disrupted phone and internet services, and officials have urged residents to avoid affected areas.
The National Weather Service is expected to send a team to Deer Lodge on Friday to confirm whether the destruction was caused by a tornado. If verified, this would mark the first deadly tornado event of 2025.
Thursday night’s storm struck more than two hours after sunset, a factor that increases the danger of tornadoes.
A 2022 study found that tornadoes occurring at night are twice as likely to be deadly as those during the daytime due to reduced visibility and the difficulty in taking shelter.
Since 1965, Morgan County has experienced multiple tornadoes, including a devastating F3 twister in 2002 that killed seven people about 20 miles southeast of Deer Lodge. More recently, an EF1 tornado touched down in Sunbright last year.
Tennessee typically averages three tornadoes in February, a number lower than the peak tornado months of April and May. However, February tornadoes have become increasingly frequent, with 45 recorded across the United States last year alone.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation as emergency crews work to provide aid to those affected.