A string of storm systems caused havoc and devastation in Selmer on Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

Selmer, along with dozens of communities in Tennessee, received multiple tornado warnings overnight. The National Weather Service tracked at least one tornado and multiple potential tornadoes near Selmer Wednesday night and early Thursday morning and it’s likely what ripped through the small town located almost halfway between Memphis and Nashville.

Around 12:40 a.m., the National Weather Service out of Memphis posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that there were “two very large tornadoes on the ground” in the Selmer area and warned people to seek shelter immediately.

Several hours later, the weather service reported another one near the same community.

“Another tornado is heading directly north of Selmer, TN, in 40 minutes. This is an incredibly dangerous situation,” the weather service out of Memphis posted on X, formerly Twitter, around 2:30 a.m.

In the morning hours, residents saw what was left of their small town.

Selmar damage: Roofs ripped up, powerlines down, homes and businesses destroyed

Selmer residents hunkered down as the storms raged overhead, pulling roofs from homes, downing trees and powerlines, and destroying much of what people had worked so hard to build.

Paul Floyd, a Selmer resident, walked through his destroyed home on Thursday morning to survey what was left after he, his wife, and his mother-in-law hunkered down to ride out a suspected tornado the evening before.

“Around about 11:30, 12 pm when it came through, it sounded like a train taking off,” Floyd said.

When will we know the path of the Tennessee tornadoes?

On Thursday, the National Weather Service out of Nashville stated that it could be several days before a full damage assessment will be done due to the nature of the event which is expected to dump upwards, or more than, 10 inches of rain in some communities in West and Middle Tennessee.

While the weather service out of Memphis reported on tornadoes near Selmer, there has been no information provided stating that the community was hit by one directly as of Thursday afternoon.

Photos of damage in Selmer

Reporters and photographers from across the USA TODAY Network converged in Selmer to take stock of what happened in the community. You can see some of the photos taken below.

Where is Selmer?

The small community of Selmer is located around 150 miles west of Nashville and about 94 miles east of Memphis in McNairy County.

How many people live in Selmer?

Selmer is a smaller community in rural Tennessee with a population of 4,446, according to data from the 2020 U.S. census.

How many people have died in the Tennessee storms?

Four people have been killed in the string of storms that has upended life for many Tennesseans in West and Middle Tennessee, including one that occurred in McNairy County, where Selmer is located.

No names have been released for any of the victims.

Tennessee floods: West, Middle Tennessee main concern is rising waters as heavy rain continues

Rain is expected to continue through the weekend with much of the region still under a flood watch until Sunday, April. 6.

Some minor and moderate flooding along rivers and creeks in Middle and West Tennessee have already been recorded, as well as flash flooding in rural and metro areas. The weather service continues to caution people to not take this event lightly.

“This is a catastrophic, potentially historic heavy rainfall and flash flood event,” the National Weather Service said in a forecast, adding that people should prepare for “severe disruptions to daily life.”

Commercial Appeal photographer Chris Day contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee tornado: Selmer likely hit. Photos, videos show damage