NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) – Metro officials met with business owners and residents Sunday morning to discuss the timeline for their return to Second Avenue N.
More than 41 buildings near Second Avenue N. were damaged. Much of the area was closed off as the investigation continued and residents and business owners were unable to return.
There are 250 FBI agents in Nashville sifting through the rubble to uncover evidence of the explosion.
Chris Taylor, deputy head of MNPD, outlined the timeline for the reopening of the area at a press conference on Monday night.
Watch the press conference below:
Once the FBI releases an area, which means it has been removed from the bureau’s active investigation, public works and structural engineers will investigate the building.
Public works will remove and fence debris to restrict safety for safety purposes, and then Metro codes will examine the area with engineers who will determine if a building is safe enough to walk through.
After that step, the area will be transferred to the fire and police department which will guide business owners and residents.
There is a six-hour window for a group of about 20 business owners, residents and landowners to explore the area on Tuesday. Those who may return have already been notified.
Metro police said it could take another seven days before the area is reopened to business owners and residents. They will be contacted individually for information on when they can return to the area.
The FBI’s victim services offer counseling, relocation assistance and assistance with paperwork to claim a restitution claim for those affected by the blast.
Taylor said the photos do not show the extent of the damage.
“Even if you’ve seen it in photos and from a drone, it does not involve it because it’s hard to realize it happened in Nashville,” Taylor said. “It’s very discouraging. It hurts you a lot to see it in your own city, especially in the middle of it as it is.”