Storms flood roads, damage businesses across Mid-State

WKRN Channel 2 News A severe line of storms Thursday afternoon damaged businesses, flooded roads and caused several car accidents across Middle Tennessee. The Nashville Weather Service in Nashville began issuing watches and warnings for the area around 3 p.m. and not long after, tornado sirens began going off in cities and towns across the Mid-State. An hour later, just after 4 p.m., there were reports of tornado touchdown along Murfreesboro Road in south Nashville. Winds blew apart a McDonald's sign there and scattered tires across the parking lot at a nearby Bridgestone Firestone tire center. Part of the roof was blown off a neighborhood auto dealer. Nearby, on Cantina Drive off Thompson Lane, trees were uprooted and debris strewn across the neighborhood. In Hillsboro Village, drivers, caught off guard by flash floods, were forced to drive through high waters. One shopkeeper used a wooden board to try and keep floodwaters from rushing through the door. Flash flooding was a common occurrence across the Mid-State. In north Nashville, at 10th and Jo Johnston avenues, a Good Samaritan rushed to rescue two drivers after their vehicles stalled in the flood waters. In the Woodmont area, photos taken by Christy Frink and sent to News 2 show streets and yards under water. In the West End area, a photo taken by Cara Alexander, shows a car submerged in water along Elmington Park. In Millersville, John Johnson sent News 2 a photo showing a muddy "river" running between two homes. The Federal Aviation Administration evacuated the tower at Nashville International Airport and all flight activity was stopped temporarily. The airport asked people in the terminal to take cover away from windows. There were no reports of injuries in Davidson County.