When tornadoes tore through Middle Tennessee in the early-morning hours of Super Tuesday, AP staff deftly pivoted from preparing for the state’s primary to covering a natural disaster.
Just hours before polls were to open for Super Tuesday, tornadoes cut a lethal swath across central Tennessee, and AP staffers responded.
Despite a lack of power at their own homes, reporter Kimberlee Kruesi and video journalist Kristin Hall mobilized quickly, joined by their Nashville colleagues, reporters Travis Loller and Jonathan Mattise, and photographer Mark Humphrey. From first light on Tuesday, and throughout the day, they delivered compelling text, video and photos of the devastation that left at least 24 dead statewide.
Others engaged quickly as well, including Tennessee sports editor Teresa Walker, who drove to hard-hit Putnam County that afternoon for words and video, and Memphis correspondent Adrian Sainz, who connected the disaster to the primaries by monitoring its impact on voting, for national and state stories, including a court challenge seeking to keep polls open late.
Two men survey damage, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, east of Nashville in Cookeville, Tenn., after a tornado hit on overnight.
AP Photo / Wade Payne
The remains of homes shattered by an overnight tornado are scattered near Cookeville, Tenn., east of Nashville, Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
Destroyed homes line a street Tuesday, March 3, 2020, near Lebanon, Tenn., after tornadoes ripped across Tennessee overnight.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
Volunteer Sumant Joshi helps to clean up rubble at the East End United Methodist Church after it was heavily damaged by a tornado, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
Dwight Herald stands in the remains of his home,Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Cookeville, Tenn. after a tornado hit overnight.
AP Photo / Wade Payne
President Donald Trump, second from right, accompanied by, from left, Tennessee first lady Maria Lee, Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter, Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton and Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tenn., tours damage, Friday, March 6, 2020, in Cookeville, Tenn., three days after a series of deadly tornadoes struck Middle Tennessee.
AP Photo / Alex Brandon
David Flores-Figueroa wears his voting sticker on his face as he reads over the ballot before voting on Super Tuesday at the Cleveland Park Community Center precinct, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. After overnight tornadoes closed some polling places, voters from six precincts were combined to vote at Cleveland Park, where the wait could take up to an hour or more.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
People pass by damaged Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
The roof of a nearby business lies in the front yard of a home, Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
Electrical worker Tyler Morris rolls up damaged power cable, Wednesday, March 4, 2020, near a store destroyed by a tornado in Nashville, Tenn.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
People walk by one of the damaged buildings of Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church as they arrive for a service, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. The congregation held their Sunday service in a tent in the parking lot of the church, after its facilities were heavily damaged by a tornado March 3.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
A worshipper holds a church program during a service in a tent at Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. The congregation held their Sunday service in a tent in the parking lot of the church after its facilities were heavily damaged by a tornado March 3.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
Elaine Cirker, left, embraces Rev. Ricardo Lange as worshippers welcome one another during a service in a tent at Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. The congregation held their Sunday service in a tent in the parking lot near the church facilities, which were heavily damaged by a tornado March 3.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
Worshippers hold hands during a prayer at Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. The congregation held their Sunday service in a tent in the parking lot near the church facilities, which were heavily damaged by a tornado March 3.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
People leave a worship service at Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
Electrical worker Kurt Chandler, center, listens during a worship service in a tent at Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Sunday, March 8, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. The congregation held their service in a tent in the parking lot near the church facilities, which were heavily damaged by a tornado March 3.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
A man walks by The Basement East, a live music venue destroyed by storms, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
As day turned to night, Humphrey, who had covered hockey the previous evening, raced from a helicopter tour with the governor to an emergency polling place in a community center, where he shot from behind a basketball goal, showing a long line of voters waiting to use one voting machine. Humphrey used a monopod and wireless triggers still in his car from the hockey game.
People wait to vote on Super Tuesday in the gymnasium at Cleveland Park Community Center, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. Deadly overnight tornadoes delayed the start of the presidential primary voting in some Tennessee counties, spurring elections officials to redirect voters to alternate locations. Voters from six precincts were combined to vote at Cleveland Park, where the wait could take up to an hour or more.
AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
The following day, Kruesi examined the effectiveness of the region’s warning system while Loller and Hall drove to Putnam for one of the week’s most compelling stories, about how one family’s home became an impromptu support center for those who had nothing left.
A presidential visit followed on Friday, then another strong story Saturday by Loller and Humphrey about North Nashville's recovery efforts. Finally, Hall and Humphrey on Sunday attended a damaged church’s moving worship service. Others pitched in significantly throughout the week, including Louisville-based breaking news staffers Becky Yonker and Beth Campbell, freelance photographer Wade Payne, Washington’s Darlene Superville and Alex Brandon, and the entire South Desk, combining forces in a team effort that showed the AP at its best.
Nashville-based vídeo journalist Kristin Hall records tornado damage in Putnam County, Tennessee, March 4, 2020.
AP Photo / Travis Loller
Two of the AP’s top videos of the week were from the tornado, an impressive feat in a week with coronavirus and political coverage dominating the landscape. Tuesday’s story was the most-read single story of the week on AP News, logging more than 800,000 pageviews as of late last week. And the initial storm story was the second most downloaded by customers from AP Newsroom, second only to the national Super Tuesday story. The cleanup and church stories sustained that momentum, each garnering strong play.
For proving nimble, responsive and collaborative coverage on a major breaking news story under chaotic conditions, the multiformat Tennessee team of Travis Loller, Kristin Hall, Kimberlee Kruesi, Mark Humphrey, Jonathan Mattise, Adrian Sainz and Teresa Walker shares this week’s Best of the States award.