NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) – Subway officials met with business owners and residents Sunday morning to discuss the schedule that allowed them to return to Second Avenue N.
More than 41 buildings near Second Avenue N. were damaged. Much of the area has closed as the investigation continues and residents and business owners have yet to return.
There are 250 FBI agents in Nashville passing through the rubble to discover evidence of the blast.
At a press conference Monday night, MNPD Deputy Director Chris Taylor explained the timetable for the reopening of the area.
Check out the following press conference:
Once the FBI releases an area, that is, that has been removed from the office’s active investigation, public works and structural engineers will inspect the building.
Public works will remove debris and place fences to restrict movement for safety reasons, and then Metro codes will inspect the area with engineers who will determine if a building is safe enough to pass through.
After this step, the area is handed over to the fire and police department that will escort business owners and residents.
There will be a six-hour window for a group of about 20 businessmen, residents and homeowners to inspect the area on Tuesday. Those with permission to return have already been notified.
Metro police said it could take another seven days before the area reopened for business owners and residents. They will be contacted individually for information on when they can return to the area.
The FBI Victim Services will provide advice, help with relocation, and help with paperwork to file a claim for restitution from those affected by the blast.
Taylor said the images do not fully show the extent of the damage.
“Even if you’ve seen it in pictures and from a drone, it doesn’t include it because it’s hard to realize that this happened in Nashville,” Taylor said. “It’s very discouraging. It really hurts to see it in your city, especially in the middle as it is.”