A road separates properties filled with debris Tuesday, March 3, 2020, near Lebanon, Tenn. Tornadoes ripped across Tennessee early Tuesday, shredding more than 140 buildings and burying people in piles of rubble and wrecked basements. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Westfield native Lee Davies and his wife Lori were enjoying spending their first winter south after purchasing half of a duplex at the StoneBridge development near Lebanon, Tenn.

The placid setting was shattered in terrifying fashion early Tuesday when a series of tornadoes struck the area, carving a path through downtown Nashville to the eastern suburbs.

State emergency officials revised the toll to 24 fatalities on Tuesday night. In Putnam County, some 80 miles east of Nashville, at least 18 people were killed, including five pre-teen children, and 88 others were injured as a result of tornadoes that reached F3 and F4 levels on the Fujita scale.

“It was clear when we went to bed,” said Davies, a 20-year veteran of the Jamestown Police Department who retired as a captain in 2009. “Fortunately the dog woke up and had to go to the bathroom. I took him out and came back in the house around 12:30. Flipped on the TV to a local news station and they were talking about storms west of Nashville. We thought we better get dressed and put shoes on in case anything happens. It was supposed to go north of us. Two minutes before it got to us, it changed direction and was heading right down our road. They said to take shelter so we got into the laundry room.

It started shaking and making noise. We sat down on the floor and put our backs on the drier and our feet on the door. When the tornado hit the house you could feel the air pressure change. Your ears popped. It sounded like the whole house exploded.”

As severe as the damage was to the Davies’ side of the duplex, the neighboring half of the structure was hit even worse.

“Our neighbors place was gone. Ceiling was collapsed, she had it worse. The next house right directly next to us, their entire roof collapsed. We didn’t see them come out, luckily they were out of town.” Davies said.

After failing to get through to anyone via 911, Davies and his wife — Lori, a retired Chautauqua County teacher — were eventually contacted by emergency personnel. After explaining that there were no serious injuries, the couple waited approximately eight hours before the arrival of any first responders, as police and firefighters struggled to travel on roads strewn with debris.

“We got away from the house in case there was a gas explosion,” Davies said. “We spent the night in the car (and) couldn’t move because there is debris everywhere.”

The Davies were finally able to get on the road Tuesday to purchase gasoline for their vehicle. Leaving the confines of StoneBridge they were met with stark reminders of the destruction.

“It destroyed the local Walmart and Lowes. Steel telephone poles were just broken in half through town. Apparently it picked up steam and got worse around Cooksville, estimated EF 3 near us and EF 4 farther east,” Davies said.

Miraculously, Davies believed that there were no serious injuries at StoneBridge despite the direct impact.

After meeting friends from Atlanta halfway in Chattanooga on Tuesday to drop off their pet, the Davies returned to Lebanon to await news from insurance providers before making their next move.

“Tornadoes are not uncommon to the area,” Davies said. “But I talked to a couple of guys from the sheriff’s department. The last tornado to hit the region was 22 years ago. Some have been here 40 years and have never seen anything like that. For it to go from downtown Nashville out to Cooksville is just unheard of.”

While waiting for help from local authorities, Davies did get responses from friends back in Westfield via Facebook. Some of these people went out of there way to contact emergency services in Lebanon to let them know of the situation.

“We called 911 multiple times and it was just dead. Their systems had been taken out. You take 911 for granted working for the police department,” Davies said. “Our new place is pretty much gone. We are still here waiting for the insurance agents to tell us what to do and where to stay.”

According to reports from the Associated Press, one tornado touched down near downtown Nashville and stayed on the ground for 10 miles on a path to the eastern suburbs, following Interstate 40 and damaging areas in Mt. Juliet, Lebanon and Hermitage.

By 4 a.m. Nashville Electric reported that power outages were affecting more than 44,000 customers.