Generac Dealer in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Then we learned better. In the days before April 27, 2011, experts warned of a potentially “high risk” thunderstorm for the region. But, as the storm formed supercells, 90% — instead of the usual 25%  — produced tornadoes packing deadly winds of more than 200 mph. From midnight to midnight, they swept across northern Georgia and into southeast Tennessee, flattening buildings,  toppling electric towers, and knocking out cell towers and sirens – leaving Chattanooga residents without power and with very little warning of what to expect.

This 2011 Super Outbreak introduced weather scientists and Chattanooga residents to a new breed of violent and more deadly tornadoes that behaved differently than those on the southern Plains or along the Southeast coast.  These stronger, long-track tornadoes moved at higher speeds and often hit at night.  Traveling across hilly and heavily forested landscapes, they are usually embedded in shafts of heavy rain, making them hard to see in advance. 

One of the important lessons scientists learned from studying the patterns of 199  tornadoes from that day was that power outages were the primary cause of the high death toll because warnings were issued but not received. 

Which brings us to Chattanooga’s unforgettable Easter Tornadoes in the Spring of 2020….

Between 8 pm and midnight on Easter Sunday, April 12,  2020, just as we were starting to come to grips with COVID-19 restrictions, social distancing, and what long-term “sheltering in place” would mean,  a powerful thunderstorm system unleashed a series of seven tornadoes along the border of Georgia and Southeastern Tennessee. One tornado hit the Chattanooga  Metro with 145 mph winds, killing ten people and sending dozens to nearby hospitals. Throughout  Chattanooga and Hamilton County, tornadoes, thunderstorms, hail, and high winds damaged hundreds of homes, churches, businesses, and other buildings, resulting in flooding and widespread power outages.

Suppose you were lucky and your home was still standing on Easter Monday. In that case, chances are that you were one of more than 60,000  who lost power when hundreds of power poles and more than 50 miles of power line were completely destroyed. While the rest of the country was learning how to work and attend school from home, additional storms caused 500 more outages and hampered restoration. Ten days after the tornado struck, 2400 were still without power, and 400 homes were too damaged for restoration. Supplies continued to be scarce, and the lengthy clean-up had really just begun.

If you live in Chattanooga, you know that when the power goes out unexpectedly, it doesn’t take too long for your food, supplies, and peace of mind to run low – especially when damage is massive and outages are widespread. And, just over the past few years, we’ve already learned first-hand how climate change is shifting and intensifying weather patterns in the Tennessee Valley. Scientists predict that future storms in southeastern Tennessee will be increasingly unpredictable, intense, widespread, and frequent. 

If you don’t have a backup home generator in Chattanooga, your options are limited when the power goes out. You can wait for it to come back on — no cooking, no lights, no refrigeration, no HVAC, no TV, no phone chargers, no power for medical devices, and often no water.  Hunting down an available hotel room or a kind-hearted friend with power means using what’s left of your dwindling phone charge.  That can be a gamble if roads en route are blocked by fallen trees, downed power poles and lines, or traffic accidents.

Tornadoes can happen any time of the year in Tennessee. While you can’t control the weather, you CAN avoid a replay of the inconvenience, worry, and insecurity that comes every time there’s a warning for severe weather that could knock out power.

Before the next season brings new power outage challenges,  you can explore an altogether better option—the peace of mind that comes with uninterrupted power from an automatic, whole-home backup generator from Canter Power Systems, your premier Generac dealer in Chattanooga.