News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The community remembers the one year anniversary of the Putnam County tornado Wednesday.
19 people died in the early morning hours of March 3rd including five children. Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said the day offers the community the chance to reflect.
“Families lost loved one, lost everything they had sometimes, homes, vehicles and everything,” Porter said. “Every family has a story to tell. We don’t want to bring back a bad memory, but at the same time, we want to remember what happened, how quickly it happened and to remember those souls that were lost.”
Work continues one year later to rebuild. Porter said nearly 1/3 of the homes damaged or destroyed in the storm have been rebuilt or are in the process of being rebuild. Two long-term agencies remain at work in the community helping families. They have completed more than 50 projects and five complete rebuilds.
On this, the one-year anniversary of the Putnam County tornado, several events will remember those who lost their lives as well as the devastation caused by the storm. The events begin Wednesday morning at 10am, as a new city-county park will be dedicated in the Highway 70 corridor. Hope Park will be a place where families can gather. Porter said the local residents did not want the area to bring back memories of the storm, but rather provide a peaceful venue. The park will be built out during the spring and summer.
Three residents who lost their homes chose not to rebuild and sold land to the county for the park.
At 11am, Reflection Park will be unveiled on the grounds of the Baxter Seminary Park. Reflection Park honors the five children who lost their lives in the tornado. The park was a public-private partnership designed and built by local volunteers, led by Baxter Beautification Chair Jeannie Lee. The area, just across the street from Baxter Primary School, was designed to give children the chance to learn about the five young people who died in the storm. New trees have been planted to represent the children in addition to three old trees that anchored the site.
At 1:48pm, bells across Putnam County will chime 19 times to remember those who died March 3. Local churches and Tennessee Tech have joined forces for the ringing exactly one year and 12 hours from the time the tornado first impacted the county.
Tennessee Tech will honor its students and faculty that volunteered in the aftermath of the storm during a short ceremony at Derryberry Hall just prior to the bell ringing. At 2pm, Cookeville Regional will show appreciation to the medical staff that treated so many that morning and saved lives.
The evening concludes at 6pm Wednesday night as the community will gather at Double Springs Church of Christ for a remembrance service. The church served as the hub for the highway 70 corridor during the days that followed storm, feeding volunteers, serving as an organization point, providing supplies and places to sleep. The event will not be open to the public due to COVID restrictions, but the event will be broadcast live on Facebook and on radio.
PROGRAM NOTE: Lite Rock 95.9, 106-9 Kicks Country, News Talk 94.1/AM 1600, and Rock 93-7 will broadcast all the events Wednesday live. Governor Bill Lee will also share thoughts with Putnam County residents at 5:45pm Wednesday. News Talk 94.1 will rebroadcast the two-hour documentary “Home Of The Brave” Wednesday at 11:30am. It tells the story of those who responded in so many ways after the storm.
