Tornado tragedy: Mother and daughter killed in Tennessee's first of the year
During the first deadly tornado of the year in the U.S., which struck eastern Tennessee, two people were killed. The victims were a mother and daughter. The storm also caused severe material damage.
The tornado, which swept through Morgan County, a small community in eastern Tennessee, resulted in the deaths of two people - a mother and daughter. Several other people were injured, and several buildings were damaged, according to a report by the local emergency management and homeland security office on Friday afternoon.
The tornado was classified as an EF2 on the Fujita scale, which measures tornadoes based on their strength and the damage caused. This classification means that the wind speed reached 135 mph, causing "severe property damage".
A research team from the National Weather Service determined that the tornado's strength was just 1 mph below what is required for classification as an EF3, when very severe damage occurs.
Authorities deployed over 100 rescuers, including dozens from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, to assist in the search for missing people and to provide support to those affected.
"That is our mission, to make sure we can help," emphasized the head of the state patrols.
