WATCH: Video Captures Tornado Pass Over Middle Tennessee Elementary School
By Sarah Tate
December 15, 2021
Newly-released video caught by a Middle Tennessee school surveillance system shows one of several tornadoes that passed through the state early Saturday (December 11) morning.
An EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 105 mph cut a path through Mt. Juliet around 3 a.m. Saturday, giving many residents flashbacks to the deadly EF-3 tornado that devastated the community in the early morning hours of March 3, 2020. Several homes in the area were damaged by Saturday's storms, ripping trees from the ground and bricks from homes.
Wilson County Schools Spokesperson Bart Barker shared a video of the strong storms to the district's Facebook page that captured on Mt. Juliet Elementary School's surveillance cameras and gave an update on the damage left behind by the tornado, including minor damage to the school's roof, FOX 17 reports. Check out the video below — footage of the storm starts around the 1:50 mark.
MJE Rooftop Report & Storm Video🚨 MJE ROOFTOP REPORT & STORM VIDEO ⬇️ Here’s a further look at the minor damage on the rooftop of Mt. Juliet Elementary following the EF-1 tornado that came through the MJE area over the weekend. Also, you’re able to see these powerful winds through MJE’s surveillance system. It serves as another strong reminder about the intensity that these storms can bring. Amazingly, in less than two years, four of our school buildings and/or properties have been impacted by severe storms. 🌪 March 3rd, 2020, EF-3 Tornado Stoner Creek Elementary - Destroyed West Wilson Middle - Destroyed 💨 May 4th, 2021, Straight Line Winds Wilson Central HS Ath. Complex - Heavy Damage 🌪 December 11th, 2021, EF-1 Tornado Mt. Juliet Elementary - Minor Roof Damage Thankfully, all of these significant weather events were not during regular school hours. ♥️
Posted by Wilson County Schools on Monday, December 13, 2021
"We're very fortunate considering the circumstances we know our families across the way, especially over in Willoughby Station but here at the school itself came out very light in damage," Barker said.
According to Barker, this is the fourth school in the district to be damaged by severe weather over the past two years. Two schools, Stoner Creek Elementary and West Wilson Middle, were destroyed during the March 2020 tornado, while Wilson Central High School's athletic complex received heavy damage from straight line winds in May 2021.