‘It was a matter of just being relieved’: Lives spared in Eagleville despite storm damage
EAGLEVIEW, Tenn. (WKRN) — As the sun rose over Eagleville Thursday morning, the damage from Wednesday’s storms was revealed, but Mayor Chad Leeman was grateful no one in the city was seriously hurt.
The storm rolled in around 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, and by 8:30 p.m., Leeman and first responders were out assessing the damage and removing debris from the roadway while linemen were repairing downed power lines.
“The fire department, first responders, and volunteer fire department, it was like a pit crew out there,” Leeman said. “I was just in complete shock at how well they took care of things and got roads cleared.”
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Leeman reassessed the damage Thursday morning, and some roads were so flooded they remained impassable.
Lucky Ladd Farms looked like it received the brunt of the storm. There were several downed trees on the property and multiple buildings had structural damage.
“Heartbroken. We’ve put 15 years of blood, sweat, and tears into this business, and we enjoy sharing it with the community,” Amy Ladd, co-owner of Lucky Ladd Farms said. “It’s pretty sad, but nobody was hurt. We don’t have any animals hurt and we’ll rebuild. We’ll come back.”
Despite the damage, Leeman told News 2 he was grateful lives were spared and no one was seriously hurt during the storms.
“It was a matter of just being relieved,” Leeman said. “Things can be replaced but people cannot. I was more worried about the people being hurt than anything.”
Despite no injuries in Eagleville, Leeman said the city is praying for the Director of Rutherford County Schools’ 10-year-old son, Asher Sullivan, who got caught in a storm drain and was swept under the neighborhood streets while playing outside Wednesday evening, according to his father.
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“Eagleville gives our thoughts and prayers to him as well, and hopefully for him a speedy recovery,” Leeman said.
Rutherford County officials added most areas of the county received over six inches of rain, adding that the West Fork Stones River went from 2.5 feet to almost 20 feet by 8 a.m. Thursday.
Leeman was in awe of how the community came together to help those in need immediately after the storm.
“The great thing about this community is as soon as it hit, my phone started blowing up with, ‘How can I help? How can I help?'” Leeman said. “It was an amazing thing. In a bad situation, you get to see the good in people and that’s what I got to see.”
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All power has been restored to Eagleville, according to Leeman. Residents will continue to clear debris from their yards and the roadways while floodwaters are expected to subside.
Anyone with questions should call the Rutherford County Fire Marshal’s Office at 615-907-3600.
Don’t forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker app.
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