Tornado Cleanup Critical

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the cleanup from March’s tornado in Putnam County has been delayed, but the next two weeks are critical to the effort.

Brandon Smith, Assistant Director of Putnam County 911, is helping organize the cleanup.

“The current plan is to spend the next three weeks in the debris field working working hard to try to get things cleaned up,” Smith said, “The next two weekends is when we’re hoping to get a lot of volunteers and get all of it cleaned up and get the debris company to haul that all off.”

Smith said people are being urged to volunteer Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. until about 2 p.m. each day. Volunteers can go to the Putnam County Fairgrounds to sign in.

Smith said despite the pandemic setbacks, the volunteers have been the reason cleanup has progressed as fast as it has.

“Our volunteers have been a huge part of us getting to where we are now,” Smith said. “We feel like we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as far as the cleanup process. There’s certainly many months and years ahead for the overall recovery.”

Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter estimates that around 65 to 70 percent of the cleanup is complete in the county, while about 90 percent is complete in Cookeville.