Taylor Swift donates $1 million to Tennessee tornado relief effort, reports say
Swift spent some of her childhood in one of the areas hit hardest by Saturday’s deadly tornado outbreak.
Tennessee tornado survivors battle freezing temperatures as recovery operations continue
FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray is in Madison, Tennessee, where recovery operations continue in the aftermath of a deadly EF-3 tornado that tore through the community over the weekend.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Taylor Swift has donated $1 million to help those affected by the deadly tornado outbreak that devastated parts of the South over the weekend, according to reports.
Several tornadoes tore paths across Tennessee and Kentucky on Saturday. The strongest one was an EF-3 tornado with 150 mph winds that killed three people in Clarksville. An EF-2 tornado with 130 mph winds killed three more people when it traveled through the northern reaches of the Nashville metro area.
MASSIVE CLEANUP UNDERWAY AFTER TENNESSEE EF-3 TORNADO AS STORIES OF SURVIVAL EMERGE
![Damage to a home in Clarksville, Tennessee after a long-track tornado ripped through the community on Saturday Dec. 9, 2023.]()
Image 1 of 16Damage to a home in Clarksville, Tennessee after a long-track tornado ripped through the community on Saturday Dec. 9, 2023. (Image: Hailee Oman) ( )
![Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather)]()
Image 2 of 16Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather) ( )
![Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather)]()
Image 3 of 16Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather) ( )
![Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather)]()
Image 4 of 16Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather) ( )
![Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather)]()
Image 5 of 16Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather) ( )
![Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather)]()
Image 6 of 16Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather) ( )
![Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather)]()
Image 7 of 16Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather) ( )
![Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather)]()
Image 8 of 16Scenes from Clarksville, Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 2023 the day after a deadly tornado ripped through the community. (Image: Nicole Valdes/FOX Weather) ( )
![A home in Madison, Tennessee, is seen severely damaged after a tornado on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.]()
Image 9 of 16A home in Madison, Tennessee, is seen severely damaged after a tornado on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Nicole Valdes)
![This photo shows what it looked like inside a home that was damaged by a tornado in Madison, Tennessee.]()
Image 10 of 16This photo shows what it looked like inside a home that was damaged by a tornado in Madison, Tennessee. (Nicole Valdes)
![Walls of a home in Madison, Tennessee, were torn away by a tornado on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.]()
Image 11 of 16Walls of a home in Madison, Tennessee, were torn away by a tornado on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Nicole Valdes)
![A destroyed utility pole is seen on the ground after severe weather in Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.]()
Image 12 of 16A destroyed utility pole is seen on the ground after severe weather in Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (CDE Lightband/Facebook)
![A man is seen observing the destruction left behind after a deadly tornado outbreak in Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.]()
Image 13 of 16A man is seen observing the destruction left behind after a deadly tornado outbreak in Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (CDE Lightband/Facebook)
![A destroyed building is seen in Tennessee after a deadly tornado outbreak on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.]()
Image 14 of 16A destroyed building is seen in Tennessee after a deadly tornado outbreak on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (CDE Lightband/Facebook)
![Trees are seen snapped in half after a deadly tornado outbreak in Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.]()
Image 15 of 16Trees are seen snapped in half after a deadly tornado outbreak in Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (CDE Lightband/Facebook)
![A utility pole is seen snapped in half after a deadly tornado outbreak in Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.]()
Image 16 of 16A utility pole is seen snapped in half after a deadly tornado outbreak in Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (CDE Lightband/Facebook)
One of the towns hit by the twisters was the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, where Swift spent some of her childhood.
According to The Tennessean, the megastar made the donation to the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
"The Swifts found their original Tennessee home in Hendersonville and Sumner County and remain deeply committed to its continued well-being," Hal Cato, CEO of CFMT, said in a statement posted on the charity’s Facebook page. "Taylor's incredibly generous gift sends a message to her hometown, and the communities around it, that she has their backs during the long road to recovery following this devastating event."
To donate to the same fund, go to cfmt.org/tornadorelief2023.
TENNESSEE TORNADO DAMAGE SEEN FROM SPACE IN BEFORE-AND-AFTER IMAGES
Taylor Swift performs onstage during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at Estadio Olimpico Nilton Santos on November 17, 2023 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro.
(Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management / Getty Images)
Extreme weather has intersected Swift's life several times during her Eras Tour this year. Extreme heat led to the death of a fan in Brazil last month. Weeks before, Swift had to postpone a concert in Argentina because of severe storms.
The pop star sang through the rain during May concerts at Nissan Stadium in Nashville and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.