Eric Paslay Updates Fans After Taking ‘Direct Hit’ From Nashville Tornado
Eric Paslay and his family are breathing a sigh of relief after surviving what the singer describes as a "direct hit" from the Nashville tornado, but their gratitude is tempered with sadness at the lives lost.
The "Friday Night" and "She Don't Love You" hitmaker turned to Instagram late Tuesday (March 3) to share a picture of himself, his wife and daughter standing in front of their house with a police rescue worker, smiling into the camera after surviving a very damaging hit from the tornado that ravaged East Nashville, Germantown and central Tennessee in the early morning hours of Tuesday. Winds up to 165 miles per hour were recorded, and at least 24 people were killed statewide, while another estimated 77 are still missing in rural Putnam County.
It's not clear exactly how much damage Paslay's East Nashville home sustained, but there are enormous trees down in the yard in the photo he shared.
"It was an incredibly scary night with a direct hit from the tornado," he writes. "Fortunately, we had enough warning to get downstairs to our shelter with an additional 30 seconds to spare before it was on top of us. We are smiling in this picture because we are beyond happy and grateful to be standing together, unharmed, surrounded by the best friends, neighbors, volunteers, and first responders you could ever hope for."
He goes on to explain that at the time the picture was taken, "we didn't realize that there were lives lost. We are so sad and are hurting for those families and their losses."
Paslay's wife, Natalie, posted to her own Instagram on Tuesday as well, explaining that they had sustained "lots of damage" but they were safe, and her phone was about to die. She ended by sending out "love and prayers to those hurting today and thanks to all checking in on us!"
Paslay and the former Natalie Harker married in 2015, and they welcomed their first child, daughter Lily Piper Paslay, in December of 2018.
Other country artists including Maren Morris, Abby Anderson, Cassadee Pope and more posted to social media to share how the storms impacted areas near them. Dierks Bentley shared that he flew right around the storm cell that caused the tornado on his way back to Nashville, and the airport he landed at was hit just hours afterward. Bentley's drummer, Steve Misamore, lost his house in the Nashville tornado.
Country Stars React to the Nashville Tornado