Canadian country star Brett Kissel said early Tuesday that he is safe after a tornado touched down in and around Nashville.
The 29-year-old Alberta native hunkered down in his condo with wife Cecilia as the tornado struck at around 2 a.m. EST. According to reports, 40 buildings were destroyed and at least 24 people died.
“Trees are everywhere, and have crushed a few cars,” Kissel reported on Twitter. "Most interstate signs to Rosa Parks Blvd are torn off the poles. The AutoZone by our place is absolutely destroyed. But Cece and I are okay. Praying everyone is safe.”
Canadian country singer Madeline Merlo tweeted about experiencing her first "scary" Tennessee tornado. "Give me a snow storm any day way too canadian for that," she tweeted.
Dierks Bentley shared video of lightning in dark clouds. "We ducked around this cell and landed at john tune airport around 11:30 last night. Glad we landed when we did. Wouldn’t have been good an hour later," he tweeted. "It was the cell that turned into the tornado. Lot of people lost their homes. No one comes together as a city like Nashville does."
Country star Maren Morris and her husband Ryan Hurd were in New York when the tornado hit Nashville, according to a tweet from Hurd. “Our house [is] fine, but our neighbourhood is not,” he wrote. “Places we have loved for many years don’t look like they are there any more. We are so thankful and devastated at the same time.”
Cassadee Pope assured friends and fans that she and her dogs are safe. “My thoughts are with those who lost their homes and businesses during this crazy tornado,” she tweeted.
Other country music stars took to social media to express their shock – and eagerness to help.
“Very sad morning,” tweeted Kelsea Ballerini. “Point me in the right direction and let’s start helping and healing.”
Dan + Shay tweeted a broken heart emoji while Blake Shelton tweeted: "Thinking about you #Nashville. Stay strong!!!"
Jake Owen shared: “There are people that have lost loved ones and their homes. We as NASHVILLE will stand together and help anyone and everyone in need. That’s why I’m proud to live here and call it home.”
Reba McEntire shared a message on Twitter and Instagram. "My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the Nashville area affected by the tornado last night," she wrote. "Even if the tornado didn’t hit our personal space, we are all affected because we are Nashvillians. My heart hurts for Nashville this morning."
The tornado did not cause any damage to the historic Grand Ole Opry. "Our hearts are heavy for our Nashville community this morning," read a tweet from the venue. "We were fortunate not to sustain any damage at the Opry House, but many of our neighbours, friends and fans are coping with unimaginable loss. Our Opry family is thinking of everyone affected by this devastation."
This article has been updated since it was first published.