At least 22 people are dead in Tennessee’s capital Nashville, following “a series of powerful tornadoes” which ripped through the state early Tuesday morning. A number of people remain missing in the mayhem. Crushed cars litter the streets and at least 48 buildings were destroyed. The National Weather Service confirms “there were eight reported tornadoes that touched down in Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky.”

Door-to-door rescue search through mayhem

“It’s like a war zone,” says Charlotte Cooper. She was lucky that her home only suffered “cracked windows and a downed fence” as one twister “skipped over her house.” According to the Tennessee Governor, William Lee, the death toll may rise, “given the number of people who remain missing statewide,” Reuters notes. Rescue teams are on a door-to-door search through the mayhem for “trapped or injured” survivors.

“It was like this big rushing thing, then it got real quiet,” relates Nashville resident John Partipilo. “It was like a train sound, hard to explain… a growling sound.”

Piles of debris are everywhere. Downed power lines have left more than 47,000 people in the dark. There’s damage to “four substations, 15 primary distribution lines, and multiple power poles and lines.”

Latest reports confirm at least 30 people were injured and 48 buildings totally destroyed. Many, many, more were damaged, Fire Chief William Swan reports. President Donald Trump is expected to visit on Friday to assess the damage. On Twitter he offered condolences and “prayers for all of those affected.”

Super Tuesday affected but not canceled

Tennessee is one of the “Super Tuesday” states so the disaster also wrecked the carefully laid polling plans. Emergency solutions will enable the election to move forward despite the widespread mayhem. Unless otherwise noted, all “polling sites at schools and elsewhere will remain open for voting.” Governor Lee wants “people to exercise their rights and get out there and vote.”

This same thing has happened before on Super Tuesday. In 2008, “a nighttime tornado caused significant damage across the middle part of the state.”

Other than “the public buildings set to be used for polling,” city offices will be closed, along with schools and courts. Mt. Juliet Police Captain Tyler Chandler is asking people to help by staying off the streets as much as possible “We need your help. And that means if you can stay at your house, please stay home.”