Two More Counties Eligible For Disaster Assistance

Residents in another two Georgia counties are now eligible for federal assistance in the wake of severe weather that struck parts of Georgia early this spring. Baker and Early counties are now part of a group of nearly 60 state counties under a federal disaster declaration. Those with homes and businesses damaged from violent storms and flooding from late March to mid-April can apply for assistance. Residents can call 1-800-621-3362 for more information.

Sumter Regional close to full service

Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus will be back open for full-service business starting tomorrow. Since a tornado ripped through the town March 1st, 2007, the facility has been able to provide only urgent care out of tents and modular buildings. Now the hospital will be able to offer the full menu of services--surgical to inpatient--in its 76-bed facility. A permanent replacement hospital will be opened in 2010 after ground is broken in October. Last March, the storms that swept through Georgia killed nine people in Sumter, Taylor, and Baker counties--accounting for more than 210-million dollars in damage.

Twister-hit hospital selling bricks for new building

Destroyed vehicle in SRH parking lot. Hospital is in the background, March 2, 2007. (Dave Bender)

The hospital destroyed in a tornado that ripped through Americus nearly a year ago is for sale - one brick at a time.

Sumter Regional Hospital is selling bricks from the building ripped apart by the March 1st, 2007, storm to help pay for a new hospital. For months, doctors treated more than 5,400 patients in eight counties in tents set up near the hospital.

Since then, the facility has operated in a temporary structure.

Basic medical triage services were held in several tents like these, set up in the hospital's parking lot. March 2, 2007. (Dave Bender)

The bricks go for $25, $50 and $100 each. For more information, contact the hospital's marketing department at (229) 928-4000.

(Dave Bender)
The tornadoes killed nine people in Sumter, Taylor and Baker counties, and caused more than 210 million dollars in damage, demolishing dozens of Georgia homes and businesses.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the twister and its aftermath.

(The Associated Press)

Pilot dies in crop-dusting accident (Updated)

Search teams found the remains of a crashed crop dusting plane, and the body of the pilot, near Hwy 91 in Mitchell County, on Monday.

A Georgia Civil Air Patrol official told GPB News that the plane, piloted by 22-year-old Michigan resident Kyle Boss was found at about 9:30 am.

The single-engined Bellanca was en route from Bainbridge to Eufaula, Alabama when it went down, sometime Friday afternoon.

CAP air and ground teams from Georgia and Alabama teamed with searchers from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia State Patrol, and local county Emergency Services workers to locate the missing aircraft, according to CAP Maj. Michael Howington.

Boss was training for his pilot's license in crop dusting from a nearby agricultural school at the time of the crash, according to the officer.

Boss's family were notified Monday afternoon. No other details of the circumstances of the accident were available as of press time.

Click here for previous coverage of this story.

(With The Associated Press)