Citizens of Nashville are waking up to a different city than the one that existed on Monday, as at least two tornados touched down in and around the downtown area of the major Tennessee city early Tuesday morning between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. local time. The severe storms resulted in the deaths of 19 people across four counties, according to The Washington Post. Nashville police have also confirmed that two people were killed in East Nashville.
At least 40 buildings located around the city have collapsed, including The Basement East, which is located in East Nashville at 917 Woodland Street. Photos of the nearly-destroyed state of the building were shared to the venue’s social media pages in the hours following the touchdown, along with the caption, “All staff working tonight are safe! They took cover in the basement of The Basement East. Building is severely damaged. We love you Nashville, we are with you and hope you are safe.”
The smaller venue recently hosted performances from artists like BIG Something & Andy Frasco, Juliana Hatfield, and Marco Benevento, to name a few.
The tornado that touched down near downtown Nashville continued to inflict severe damage on the ground in surrounding neighborhoods east of the city including Hermitage, Mt. Juliet, and Germantown, Billboard reports. Schools, courts, public transportation lines, a regional airport, and the state capitol are all closed today.
The American Red Cross of Tennessee posted a statement to its Twitter alerting citizens that a shelter has opened for displaced peoples at the Nashville Farmers Market, located just north of the state capitol.