Twitter | Ryan Breslin
The worst isn’t necessarily over after extreme or severe weather ravages an area, and other threats remain such as further damage to homes that may be missing roofs or windows, damage to property and belongings, looters, and even developers who want to jump in and take over neighborhoods.
The threat is far from over in the tornado-ravaged areas of middle Tennessee, where residents now face threats from new storms to their damaged homes, as well as the threat of individuals looking to take advantage of people in the aftermath.
A Tennessee father, whose kids were in the back seat of his vehicle, was arrested by the Metro Nashville Police Department and accused of looting in a neighborhood that had been ravaged by last week’s tornado.
Joshua Davis was a passenger in a truck that officers noted was driving suspiciously and stopping at different locations while the power was out, with debris from the disaster still covering the road.
The driver of the truck and Davis both admitted two police they did not live in the neighborhood and had been “collecting items” including a mattress and other items that were found in the bed of the truck.
Davis was also accused of possession of methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia, as well as giving authorities a fake Social Security number.
Two young children were in the back seat of the vehicle, and Davis now also faces charges of child endangerment, criminal impersonation, and disorderly conduct.
A spokesperson for Metro Nashville Police Department says there have been few reports of such thefts in tornado-ravaged neighborhoods.
One person was previously arrested for stealing copper wiring from a tornado damaged home, and there was a report of the looting of one business in the Five Points area on the day of the tornado.
Another thing people don’t always think of is protecting their data. We keep a lot of personal data, including photos and important documents, stored on a variety of electronic devices and media.
You might have your data backed up on a local hard drive, but a weather disaster can wipe that out in an instant.
It’s more important than ever to invest in cloud data security programs to ensure that your data is backed up and protected in the cloud, rather than on your local media that could be wiped out in an instant.
A nonprofit group known as Equity Alliance is specifically working to protect homeowners in North Nashville from aggressive developers who are seeking to take advantage, preying on the tragedy and fear of those who have had their homes damaged or wiped out by the tornado.
It has been the case in past such weather events that developers have come into neighborhoods, especially historically black neighborhoods, offering rates that are far less than market value.
The investors then redevelop the homes and businesses in the area, but at prices that are unaffordable for many of the original residents of the neighborhoods.
Community leaders are encouraging people not to sell out.
“North Nashville is the last stronghold, where historical black neighborhoods where families have lived for decades, they have lived in these homes, they’ve been born and raised and we want them to stay there,” said a spokesperson for Equity Alliance.
“They’re not making any more land if you want some land to be able to pass down to your family members for generations and generations that’s what’s important,” North Nashville native, Meredith Freeman said.
“Never sell out,” another resident said.
