Current:Home > ScamsHer 10-year-old son died in a tornado in Tennessee. Her family's received so many clothing donations, she wants them to go others in need. -ValueCore
Her 10-year-old son died in a tornado in Tennessee. Her family's received so many clothing donations, she wants them to go others in need.
View
Date:2025-04-18 17:37:48
As the Burnham family mourns the death of 10-year-old Arlan Garrick Coty, who died during a tornado that swept through Tennessee on Saturday, donations are pouring in — so many clothing donations, his mom says, she wants them to go to others.
Arlan, a fourth grader, was one of at least six people who died when severe storms tore through central Tennessee. He didn't make it out of his house, which was in the direct path of the storm, his mother, Katherine Burnham, wrote in a Facebook post Monday.
After saying their Clarksville home was gone, Burnham admitted she and her husband "are not okay."
"We don't know how to navigate through this," she wrote. "We have no idea what is next. Anyone who knows me at all knows how much I love and adore my kids, all kids really. I cannot put into words how absolutely devastated I am."
Burham said an "entire army of people" has been helping them dig through the rubble of their house to find belongings — including drawings Arlan made in kindergarten that were recovered. On one page, he said he wanted to learn how to cook with his mom. Burnham told CBS News they got to do that – a lot.
Other friends are giving them food and helping them do laundry and one created a GoFundMe page on behalf of the family. More than $184,000 has been raised — far surpassing the fundraising goal of $5,000.
Burham told CBS News via Facebook message she wants donors to start focusing on others. "We no longer need clothes and want those donations to go to other families in need," she said. "There are so many displaced families in similar situations, my heart is broken but there is enough love and support to go around."
"When my son was born I knew he would touch so many lives, I knew he was special. This may not be how I dreamed, but he definitely touched more people than I ever even knew," Burnham said. Two other children lived in the home and survived.
She said her mind has been blown by the generosity from people around the world. "My baby is leaving an entire legacy behind."
The Clarksville Police Department identified Arlan as one of the victims, as well as 59-year-old Donna Allen, of Florida, and 34-year-old Stephen Kwaah Hayes, of Clarksville, CBS affiliate WTVF reports.
The three other victims were killed as the storm hit a mobile home community in Madison, Nashville Police said. They were identified as 37-year-old Joseph Dalton, 31-year-old Floridema Gabriel Perez and her son, 2-year-old Anthony Elmer Mendez.
At least 60 other people were taken to area hospitals and nearly 40,000 electricity customers were still without power as of Sunday morning, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us.
The storms caused a building at a Nashville church to collapse, sending 13 people to local hospitals, according to the Nashville Office of Emergency Management. On Sunday, Emergency officials were now in the "search and rescue phase of this disaster," Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said.
- In:
- Tornado
Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.
veryGood! (28)
Related
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Singer Autumn Nelon Streetman Speaks Out After Death of Family Members in Plane Crash
- Storms bring flash flooding to Dollywood amusement park in Tennessee
- New England Patriots DT Christian Barmore diagnosed with blood clots
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Federal Reserve is edging closer to cutting rates. The question will soon be, how fast?
- Go To Bed 'Ugly,' Wake up Pretty: Your Guide To Getting Hotter in Your Sleep
- Paris Olympics highlights: Team USA wins golds Sunday, USWNT beats Germany, medal count
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- At Paris Olympics, Team USA women are again leading medal charge
Ranking
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Jessica Springsteen goes to Bruce and E Street Band show at Wembley instead of Olympics
- 11-year-old accused of swatting, calling in 20-plus bomb threats to Florida schools
- Oprah addresses Gayle King affair rumors: 'People used to say we were gay'
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Kiss and Tell With 50% Off National Lipstick Day Deals: Fenty Beauty, Sephora, Ulta, MAC & More
- USDA moves to limit salmonella in raw poultry products
- Phoenix warehouse crews locate body of missing man 3 days after roof collapse
Recommendation
Could your smelly farts help science?
California school official convicted of embezzling over $16M concealed cash in fridge
Kiss and Tell With 50% Off National Lipstick Day Deals: Fenty Beauty, Sephora, Ulta, MAC & More
Swarm of dragonflies startles beachgoers in Rhode Island
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
Starter homes are worth $1 million in 237 U.S. cities. See where they're located.
Colts owner Jim Irsay makes first in-person appearance since 2023 at training camp
The Dynamax Isata 5 extreme off-road RV is ready to go. Why wait for a boutique RV build?