Lovell Crossing residents in a state of uncertainty after tornado damage

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated one of the residents was staying at a hotel provided by the apartment complex. A correction has been made below.

On Monday, an EF-2 tornado swept through an apartment complex in West Knox County, destroying it.

The winds tore apart roofs and shattered windows, bringing devastation to the Lovell Crossing apartments and the community around the complex. All of East Tennessee was under a tornado watch for most of the day, after the National Weather Service warned it could bring devastating storms. 

It also damaged homes on Bob Gray Rd. and damaged office buildings nearby. Covenant Health's corporate offices were damaged by the storm. 

"While we suffered no loss of life and no serious injuries that we know of, property damage was significant," said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs on Friday, on social media. "The damage was spotty and localized, but, if you were one of the people displaced, had your home damaged, or lost your power, it was a serious event."

The apartment complex was evacuated, and around 400 residents were displaced. A shelter was set up for some of those residents. One family said Friday they did not know when they would be able to return home.

"The car is gone, my apartment is also gone. So, it's a very sad time. But, I will say thank you to Lovell Crossing. The owner is very good. He's also helping us, police, everyone is very helpful," said Naushad Surani, a resident at the apartment complex.

He is currently staying at a hotel. He also said he was on vacation when the storm hit, but his family only had a few minutes to grab everything they needed and get to safety.

Another tenant said she was inside her apartment when the tornado hit. Mikayla Lovin looked outside her big window and described it as a day when storms in West Knoxville had turned daylight into darkness. 

"It just got so much darker and it just hit out of nowhere," Lovin said. "I could hear the roof getting ripped off. It felt like everything was shaking, I could hear things falling off the desk. It felt almost like an earthquake, the way things were shaking."

According to the National Weather Service radar, it showed that the tornado hit Hardin Valley the hardest. 

Lovin went into survival mode, looked for her pet and hid under her desk.

"My first thought was to get my dog," she said. "When I left the apartment, there was water pouring in our bedroom."

Johnny Sons, the owner of Another Chance Construction, said it was some of the worst damage he's ever seen in Knoxville and that it was going to take a long time to bring it all back together.

His company has been helping people get their stuff.

"We're here to board all the houses up and let the tenants come through so they can get all this stuff out in a safe manner," Sons said. "Some of these housings we're gonna be more or less framing a new roof, framing the whole house apartment together and putting roofs back on. There's a lot of work here."

Mikayla and her fiancé were able to grab a bag of clothes each on the first day of this natural disaster, but they have not been able to go back into their house since.

Now, they're in limbo alongside hundreds of other tenants who are unsure of what to do next. Lovin said, Lovell Apartments told them to wait until they assess the damages.

"I think most people were able to go stay with family or friends when it first happened," Lovin said. "But now everyone's kind of wondering, do we need to find a new place to live? You know, what about our lease?"

At first, Lovin said she hoped she would be able to return to her three-bedroom apartment. Now, she's looking for the light in the darkness. 

"I originally was holding on to hope that we could go back because I love living here. It's been the best place to live and they've all been amazing," Lovin said. "But now I'm just hoping to move on and just try to find somewhere new so we can just try to start moving past this and healing from it."