Prepping in Nashville
Nashville's big disasters have come fast and at night: the 2010 flood, the March 2020 tornado that hit after midnight, and the deadly 2021 flash flood.
- Tornadoes
- Flash floods
- Ice storms
Sign up today
The official Nashville alert and lookup tools. Each takes a few minutes and works even if you do nothing else on this page.
- MEANS alertsSign up for MEANS
The Metro Emergency Alert and Notification System sends calls, texts, emails and TTY messages, including National Weather Service warnings for your address.
Links checked October 2026. Wireless Emergency Alerts reach most phones automatically; these add local detail.
What can go wrong in Nashville
- Tornadoes
- The March 3, 2020 tornado struck North Nashville, Germantown and East Nashville after midnight. More hit the area in December 2023.
- Flash flooding
- The May 2010 flood swamped downtown and thousands of homes, and a March 2021 flash flood killed several people.
- Ice and winter storms
- Ice brings down trees and lines across the city's many wooded neighborhoods.
- Severe storms
- Damaging wind causes widespread outages.
- Heat
- Humid summers make outages dangerous.
What that means for your plan
Many of Nashville's worst storms hit overnight. A NOAA weather radio and phone alerts loud enough to wake you are the most important things on this list.
Never drive into flooded roads. Creeks rise fast during heavy rain.
Know your tornado shelter: the lowest floor, an interior room, away from windows.
Do these first, in this order
- MEANS and a NOAA weather radio
Overnight tornado and flood warnings.
Radios and communication guide - Power station
Phones, lights and medical devices through outages.
Power stations and generators guide - Warmth without power
Ice storms bring outages in the cold.
Lighting and staying warm guide - Two weeks of water
Basic insurance for any long outage.
Water storage and filters guide - First-aid kit
Tornado and cleanup injuries.
First aid and medical guide - Go-bag
For floods and storm damage that force you out.
Go-bags and evacuation guide
Questions
How do I get emergency alerts in Nashville?
Sign up for MEANS, Metro Nashville's emergency alert system, and add weather alerts for your address. Keep Wireless Emergency Alerts on, too.
Why do Nashville tornadoes seem to hit at night?
Strong storm systems often move through Middle Tennessee late in the evening or overnight, which is why alerts that wake you matter so much.
How ready is your Nashville home?
The quiz weights every item for suburbs risks and shows your top gaps. About 3 minutes, no sign-up.