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Maury County Officials Detail Ongoing Recovery Efforts One Month After Tornado

Issue #116

12 Jun

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

🗓 List of Upcoming Events

🌤 Columbia Weather - Partly cloudy with a high of 85

📰 Maury County Officials Detail Ongoing Recovery Efforts One Month After Tornado

⛽️ Buc-ee's to Open New Travel Center in Smith's Grove, KY

🛏 Help Out With the Sleep in Heavenly Peace June Bed Build!

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

📣 We Want To Spotlight Your Business! Apply Here

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details! 

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

Wednesday, June 12th

Thursday, June 13th

Friday, June 14th

Saturday, June 15th

Monday, June 17th

Tuesday, June 18th

  • Hampshire Farmers Market - 3:00 - 6:00 PM

  • Marine Corps League LCPL Andrew P. Carpenter Detachment 1286 - Monthly Meeting, Memorial Bldg, 308 West 7th (use parking lot in back of building). Contact here with questions. - 6:00 PM

Thursday, June 20th

Friday, June 21st

Saturday, June 22nd

Maury County Officials Detail Ongoing Recovery Efforts One Month After Tornado

Credit: Peter Lockwood

It's been just over a month since a deadly tornado outbreak in Middle Tennessee. The National Weather Service confirmed 10 tornadoes from May 8 to May 9 that impacted six counties. The tornadoes spanned approximately 13 hours, starting in Robertson County and ending in Lincoln County.

The severe weather caused widespread damage, with Maury County being the hardest hit. An EF-3 tornado killed one woman, injured a dozen others, and damaged nearly 250 homes.

Jeff Hardy, director of Maury County Emergency Management, stated that a third-party company has been hired for cleanup efforts, currently focused on removing an estimated 65,000 cubic yards of vegetation. They are averaging 1,500 to 1,800 cubic yards of debris removal per day and will continue working seven days a week for the next 60 days. Crews will begin picking up construction debris within the next two weeks, and residents will be informed of updates through Maury County Emergency Management’s social media pages.

Maury County commissioners have authorized the Office of Emergency Management to spend $3.2 million immediately for recovery, with expectations that the total cost could double or triple. If the President approves the state’s request for a disaster declaration, federal assistance from FEMA will become available, providing crucial financial aid for both citizens and local governments.

Three months before the May 8 tornado, Maury County Emergency Management conducted a tornado drill with the state’s Incident Management Team, which mirrored the actual event. Hardy highlighted the importance of this training, noting it prepared them for the real situation and facilitated swift action in debris removal. He emphasized that, despite the tragedy, the county's preparedness and training have significantly aided the recovery process.

Buc-ee's to Open New Travel Center in Smith's Grove, KY

Nashville folks will soon have easier access to Buc-ee's renowned brisket, homemade fudge, and Texas barbecue with a new location opening in Kentucky this summer. The massive travel center will be situated in Smith's Grove, that’s 77 miles from Nashville & 126 miles from Columbia. This will be the closest Buc-ee's to Nashville until the proposed Murfreesboro store opens near I-24 and Joe B. Jackson Parkway. The closest Buc-ee’s to Columbia is about 70 miles away in Athens, Alabama.

This will be the second Buc-ee's in Kentucky, following the Richmond location that opened two years ago. The Smith's Grove store will offer the chain's famous snacks, meals, drinks, gas, and apparel, which have earned it a dedicated following since its first store opened in Texas in 1982.

The Smith's Grove location will be Buc-ee's 50th store in Texas and the South, as the chain has expanded beyond Texas since 2019. New locations have been established in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Colorado, Virginia, and Mississippi.

The new Buc-ee's will bring at least 200 jobs to Smith's Grove, with competitive starting pay, full benefits, a 6% matching 401k, and three weeks of paid vacation. The store will open on Monday, June 24, with doors opening to the public at 6 a.m. Central Time and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12:00 p.m.

The Smith's Grove Buc-ee's will cover 53,000 square feet and offer 120 fueling positions. There are currently two Buc-ee's locations in Tennessee: one at 2045 Genesis Road, Crossville (about 156 miles from Columbia) and another at 170 Buc-ee’s Blvd., Kodak (about 244 miles from Columbia).

Help Out With the Sleep in Heavenly Peace June Bed Build!

Sleep in Heavenly Peace has opened up their June 22nd Bed Build to the public! 

This is a bed build event where we will take raw lumber, cut, sand and assemble to make the different parts of the twin beds.

Help us get kiddos into beds. We need to build more beds to deliver! Enjoy the camaraderie of working together to help kids get off the floor and into their own bed in Columbia and surrounding areas. 

You will be helping with sawing, sanding and assembly of the twin bed parts, side rails, headboard, footboard and slats. No need to bring any tools... we have them for you!

To get a closer look at the process from build to delivery check out this short video.

If you would like to join us please visit our website to sign up and register. 

We look forward to seeing you and thank you for helping us in our mission that “no kid sleeps on the floor in our town!"

June 22
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

🎵 This Week’s Live Music 🎵

Wednesday, June 12th
Austin Byrd, Puckett's, 6-7:30 PM

Thursday, June 13th
Taylor Hughes, Puckett's, 6-7:30 PM
Murphy Ridge, McCreary's Irish Pub, 7-9 PM

Friday, June 14th
Tom Saffel & Robert Johnson, McCreary's Irish Pub, 7-9 PM
Troy Kemp, Puckett's, 7:30-9 PM
The Wentzel Brothers Band, Fozzy's Bar & Grill, 8-11 PM

Saturday, June 15th
Jazz Brunch w/ Rick Armentrout "The Unforgetables”, Puckett's, 10 AM - 2 PM
Bald Kernal, Highland Realm Blueberry Bash, 4 PM
Khris Glaring, The Tilted Mule, 7 PM
The Def Leprechaun Band, McCreary's Irish Pub, 7-9 PM
Tristate Ramblers, Puckett's, 7:30-9 PM
Polly's Pocket, Fozzy's Bar & Grill, 8-11 PM

Sunday, June 16th
Jack Cassidy, Puckett's, 6-7:30 PM
Brandon Bartley, Fozzy's Bar & Grill, 6-8 PM

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