WAVERLY, Tenn. — When Pastor Daron Brown stood before his congregation on October 12, his words carried a weight the community knew too well.
Just a few years ago, the Waverly Church of the Nazarene lost both members and its building in the catastrophic 2021 flood. Now, heartbreak has returned — one of the families in the church has a son among those presumed dead after last week’s explosion at the Accurate Energetic Systems facility.
During the service, relatives of the victim sat quietly in the front row as fellow church members offered hugs, prayers, and whispered comfort.
“We’ve had to become stronger at this than anyone should ever have to be,” Brown said during prayer. His congregation, founded in 1946 as a small revival group under a tent, once again leaned on faith to get through tragedy.
Turning to Faith and Fellowship
Across Humphreys and Hickman counties, residents have turned to their churches for support in the aftermath of the deadly blast.
At a McEwen church on October 11, an elderly woman sat alone in a pew, sobbing for a loved one lost in the explosion. In another church nearby — Hurricane Chapel Free Will Baptist — community members knelt together at the altar, praying for the 16 victims who perished.
A teenager sat in the hallway with another worshipper, both crying over friends and neighbors taken too soon — a mother, a father, a son.
“This will be a hard season for our town,” said Jamie Brown, a member of Hurricane Chapel who grew up in Waverly. “It’s not about asking why it happened — it’s about caring for the people it happened to.”
'Tears and Silence'
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee described the response to the October 10 explosion as “thorough and cautious,” praising the crews working to secure the site.
Speaking at a press conference on October 12, Lee was joined by officials from the Humphreys and Hickman County sheriff’s offices, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Earlier that day, Lee viewed the destruction from the air and later met with families of the victims at a local church.
“When I walked in, it was nothing but tears and stunned silence,” Lee said. “But also love, care, and prayer — the kind of strength only community can provide.”
A Blast That Shook Two Counties
Longtime Hickman County residents Dale and Dwana Hicks initially thought the loud noise they heard was another routine test from the nearby plant. But as news spread, fear replaced familiarity.
The explosion had leveled one of the buildings in the remote industrial area that straddles the two counties.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis, holding back tears in a briefing, confirmed that the search for survivors had become a recovery effort.
“More than 300 people have searched every inch of the site, and no survivors were found,” Davis said.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been conducting DNA tests to identify the victims.
Candlelight, Prayer, and Perseverance
Roughly 36 hours after the explosion, hundreds gathered at Maple Valley Baptist Church in Nunelly, only minutes from the blast site. Candles flickered as residents sang, prayed, and embraced one another.
“It’s good to see everyone coming together,” said Dale Hicks, looking out at the crowd. “We’re a small place, but there’s a lot of heart here. People are praying for the families.”
At Hurricane Chapel, Pastor Tim Farris led another vigil after spending much of the previous day visiting grieving families.
“Almost everyone here knew someone who was killed,” Farris said. “People ask, ‘What good does prayer do?’ But prayer brings us together — it gives us hope. When you leave tonight, keep praying.”
Farris recalled visiting a young man who had lost a relative in the explosion.
“He told me, ‘I wish tomorrow was Sunday so I could be with my church family.’ And I told him, ‘We’re still here.’”
The pastor noted that many in the community are reliving old wounds — some lost loved ones in the 2021 floods that claimed 20 lives. “Now,” he said quietly, “they’ve lost someone again.”
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