Tennessee Governor Tours Storm-Hit Neighborhood

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Wednesday toured a storm-damaged neighborhood in Franklin County where one man was killed earlier this week.

“We let them know our thoughts and prayers are with them,” Haslam told reporters near the remnants of the home where 79-year-old Melvin Hambrick was killed on Monday.

“You never quite get used to the fact that there was somebody’s home sitting there one minute, and the next minute it’s totally blown away,” Haslam said. “There was one life lost here, which is hard to ever accept, and several other families whose lives have been fairly drastically changed as well.”

Neighbor Connie Nicholson told the governor that she was “just thankful to be alive” after the storm that blew down her garage and flung her dog down the street. Nicholson, her husband and the boxer were unhurt.

Four people died statewide as the result of storms that dumped heavy rainfall, brought strong winds and spun several tornados.