'I've aged 10 years in the last week' Wilson County man loses 5 warehouses in tornado

LEBANON, Tenn. (WZTV) — On March 3, Chuck Lowe found himself sifting through the rubble of his businesses east of Lebanon, making sure no one was killed after tornadoes ripped through.

Lowe has been a contractor in the area since 1985 and last week, he watched his livelihood, and retirement, get leveled.

He owns five warehouses along Eastgate Boulevard east of Lebanon, a hard hit area of the deadly tornado outbreak that claimed 25 lives.

With a flashlight, Lowe walked through what he could of his buildings, looking for victims amid utter devastation.

"I was checking to see if people were dead down there, thankfully it didn’t kill anyone in our buildings," Lowe told FOX 17 News.

It took decades to build his business, Lowe said. And now, he'll have to do it all over again. But like many others, it has been hard to deal with.

"It’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of years off my life," Lowe said. "I’ve aged probably...10 years in the last week. It's been hard"

For Lowe, recovery first takes tearing down. Then more time, more money and a lot of effort.

"Insurance companies only pay for so much...and you have to fight to get that," Lowe said.

He already has two tenants who want to come back when he rebuilds. But the process is anything but simple.

"You have to have plans redrawn, go through building permitting process, get plans approved before you can even start," Lowe said. "It’s a long process and you have to jump through a bunch of hoops."

Lowe's story is like many others in Middle Tennessee who say it will take years, not months, to rebuild what they lost.