Tornadoes and Flooding for The New York Times
A car drives past the destruction after a tornado ripped through Selmer, TN.
I was recently contracted by The New York Times to cover the devastation caused by a series of powerful storms that swept through Tennessee and Kentucky. These storms triggered severe flooding in Nashville and across Kentucky, and a tornado that tore through Selmer, TN, leaving significant destruction in its path.
When covering stories like this, you’re often stepping into the unknown. You prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Sometimes, that means arriving to scenes where people are hurt or grieving—and in those moments, the line between storytelling and exploitation is razor-thin. That balance is always at the forefront of my mind. Right behind it is making sure I’m equipped for anything: raincoats, camera covers, rain boots, waders—whatever it takes to do the job and remain safe.
I brought my drone along as well. It’s an incredible storytelling tool, especially when trying to capture the scale of destruction caused by floods or tornadoes. Getting above it all helps show the broader context—the full scope of what’s been lost.
The first day, I covered the aftermath in Tennessee. My own family had been huddled in our closet for hours, tracking the storm in real time. I could feel in my bones that something serious was happening. When I finally got out to shoot, I witnessed water levels in Nashville unlike anything I’ve ever seen—rivers raging, streets overtaken. It was both surreal and sobering.
After photographing the flooding and witnessing a water rescue, I hit the road and drove three hours southwest to Selmer. Tornado damage there was immense, and the storms hadn’t let up. Thunderstorms rolled through all day. I was soaked to the bone, trying to document the aftermath while ducking back to my car to dry off and file images. I didn’t get to fly the drone until a narrow 20-minute window opened up between storms late in the day—but it was just enough to help tell Selmer’s story.
Two days later—after another round of huddling in the closet during a tornado warning—I was in Frankfort, Kentucky, where the Kentucky River was cresting. Whole blocks of homes, churches, and businesses were underwater. But this time, the skies had cleared. The calm weather allowed for smoother drone flights, and I found a community that, while clearly hit hard, was beginning to come together and support one another.
Covering these events was a powerful reminder of both nature’s force and human resilience. It’s never easy to document loss, but it’s important work—bearing witness, telling the truth, and honoring the people and places affected. In every town I visited, amid the wreckage and rising waters, I saw neighbors helping neighbors, communities pulling together, and quiet moments of strength that deserve to be seen. That’s what I aim to capture every time I pick up my camera.
