Current:Home > reviewsPredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center: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. -FutureFinance
PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center: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.
Benjamin Ashford View
Date:2025-04-06 20:13:09
As the Burnham family mourns the death of 10-year-old Arlan Garrick Coty,PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center 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! (3)
Related
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Summertime And Vacationing Isn't Easy. Blame It On Climate Change
- Prince William launches Homewards initiative in a bid to finally end homelessness in the U.K.
- Titanic director James Cameron sees terrible irony as OceanGate also got warnings that were ignored
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Drugs rain down on countryside after French fighter jet intercepts tourist plane
- Climate Change Is Threatening Komodo Dragons, Earth's Largest Living Lizards
- Russia blows up packed Ukraine restaurant, killing kids, as Putin shows war still on after Wagner mutiny
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- How a robot fish as silent as a spy could help advance ocean science and protect the lifeblood of Earth
Ranking
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- New protections for California's aquifers are reshaping the state's Central Valley
- Cutting climate programs may be harder than other things as Biden trims his bill
- Wildfires Are Driving People Out Of Turkish Vacation Spots
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- China accuses Biden of open political provocation for equating President Xi Jinping to dictators
- 3 Things To Know About What Scientists Say About Our Future Climate
- Boris Johnson Urges World Leaders To Act With Renewed Urgency On Climate Change
Recommendation
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
Ukraine troops admit counteroffensive against Russia very difficult, but they keep going
Riders plunge from derailed roller coaster in Sweden, killing 1 and injuring several others
Flash Deal: Save $22 on the It Cosmetics Superhero Volumizing Mascara
The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
How Marlon Wayans Is Healing Days After His Dad Howell Wayans' Death
Sydney Sweeney's Second Collection With Frankies Bikinis' Sexiest Yet Swimwear Line Is Here
Laura Benanti Shares She Suffered Miscarriage While Performing in Front of 2,000 People Onstage