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Showing posts with label twister. Show all posts
Showing posts with label twister. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Red Cross Seing Dip in Donations
President Barack Obama declared March as Red Cross month. But Georgians struggling to make ends meet are finding it harder to donate to the organization.
March typically heralds the beginning of tornado season in Georgia. It’s a time when the Red Cross would normally gear up for disasters with blood and blankets, medical and moral aid and relief.
Like they did last month when twisters mauled areas in southern Georgia.
But Mari Wright of the Red Cross’s Albany branch says donations in her area have slowed to a trickle:
"Many of our regular contributors, that would, say, donate a hundred dollars, are now giving us $25 dollars. People that were giving us $25 dollars or less… can’t give us anything… so we are probably at 85 – maybe 90 percent down, and that’s a considerable amount. It truly is."Wright won’t reveal how much money 85 percent is, but it was considerable enough to almost shut down operations a few weeks ago.
That was until the United Way, local businesses and individual donors came through at the last minute with cash.
Red Cross officials in more urban areas, like Mitzi Oxford, who heads the West Central Georgia chapter in Columbus, say a larger donor base and funding from the national office helps - to an extent.
She says, however, that smaller donors - the mainstay of their fundraising - have cut back by some 60 percent. She gives the scenario of an average couple mulling expenses at the kitchen table:
"…and they’re saying, 'are we going to pay for our medicine this month, or are we going to eat?' Those people who might have sent a five dollar donation last month, this month may send a dollar or nothing – because they can’t afford to."Not that larger donors aren’t hurting either, she adds:
"…so the donation that, two years ago, or after [Hurricane] Katrina, would have been a million dollars - this past year was a hundred thousand. That’s a big difference."Oxford says, however, that fewer, smaller donations don’t necessarily equal lessened services to the public.
Her office relies on dozens of experienced volunteers to help carry the load – even as that workload gets a little heavier.
Oxford says the Red Cross is focusing on getting potential donors to their websites, to make giving a donation fast and easy.
Both Wright and Oxford say that, in the same way people have come to expect that the Red Cross will always be there - they’re now asking that the public be there for them.
Click here for more GPB coverage about the Red Cross, and here for more coverage about tornadoes.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Forecast: Rain, Wind & Snow Expected
Click on the map for county-by-county forecasts. (National Weather Service)
The National Weather Service office in Peachtree City reports that large swaths of Tennessee and Alabama are getting hit with snow flurries, heavy rain and storm advisories, Sunday morning.
Rain and possible snow are expected to sweep through much of Georgia in the latter part of Sunday, Mar. 1, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)
Snow flurries were reported in Columbus and other parts of southwest Georgia by noon, although it did not stick to the ground.
From the National Weather Service:
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.This report will be updated throughout the day as fresh information come in.
DAY ONE: TODAY AND TONIGHT
WINTER WEATHER POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTH AND MUCH OF CENTRAL GEORGIA
TODAY.
SYNOPSIS:
LOW PRESSURE OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS MORNING WILL MOVE OFF THE
GEORGIA COAST LATER TODAY. COLD ARCTIC AIR WILL BUILD INTO THE
STATE TODAY AS STRONG HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE MISSISSIPPI
VALLEY.
PRIMARY HAZARDS:
THE PRIMARY HAZARD TODAY WILL BE SNOW...POSSIBLY ACCUMULATING TO
ONE INCH OVER MUCH OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. WINDS WILL ALSO
BE STRONG AND GUSTY FROM THE NORTHWEST.
DISCUSSION:
COLD AIR WILL PUSH INTO NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY AS HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE AREA. MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH A STRONG
UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL SPREAD OVER THE AREA. THIS COULD PRODUCE SNOW
ACCUMULATING TO UP TO ONE INCH OVER MUCH OF NORTH AND CENTRAL
GEORGIA TODAY INTO THIS EVENING.
A hazy, rainy skyline over midtown Atlanta, Sunday morning, Mar. 1, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thomasville, Area Residents Take Stock in Tornadoes' Wake (photos)
Last Thursday's tornadoes caused heavy damage to a mental hospital and two counties in southwest Georgia.
Red dots represent the tornadoes' damage track near Thomasville, Ga. Click image for larger graphic. (Courtesy: NOAA)
Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine visited and flew over areas hit by the twisters, and puts an over $10 million dollar price tag on the damage.
The tornadoes blew down two pine trees across this house off State Highway 319, south of Thomasville. Ga., in this photo taken on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009. (Photo courtesy Greg Miller)
He says he was surprised by the extent of the destruction, and adds that Thomas County sustained the greatest damage statewide:
"In Thomas and Grady County there were about 100 homes and other structures that were damaged by the two tornadoes that went through Thomas County, and there were about two dozen that were either destroyed or almost destroyed."
The storms wreaked havoc on Southwestern State mental Hospital in Thomasville. Officials, however, report no injuries.
(Photo:
Almost 160 patients remain hospitalized at the 420-bed center, although many have been moved to other facilities in Columbus and Milledgeville, for the interim.
Oxendine says his office hopes to meet with counterparts at the Department of Human Resources, who run Southwestern State, in coming days.
The storm's winds overturned this school bus, in the parking lot of the Brookwood school, Thomasville. Ga., in this photo taken on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009. The school sustained damage, but there were no injuries to students or staff, according to the photographer. (Photo courtesy Greg Miller)
Officials estimate the storm's effects statewide at upwards of $35 million dollars.
View Larger Map
Google street level map of Southwestern State Hospital at Thomasville, Ga.
Click here for more GPB News coverage of last week's storms.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Americus, Albany hospitals to merge operations
Local residents examine overturned vehicle in SRH parking lot on March 2, 2007, the morning after the tornado struck. (file/Dave Bender)
Officials at Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus have decided to lease operations to Albany's Phoebe Putney Health System.
Sumter Regional was destroyed by a tornado on March 1, 2007.
Wrecking crews demolishing Sumter Regional Hospital earlier this year. The facility was severely damaged by a twister that tore through Americus on March 1, 2007. (file/Dave Bender)
Patients have been using temporary facilities nearby, and relying on other area hospitals for more comprehensive medical services since then.
Hospital officials say Phoebe Putney will add at least $25 million dollars to rebuild SRH, and will provide core primary and emergency services, according to a report in the Albany Herald newspaper.
Both hospitals are expected to finalize the agreement by the New Year.
Click here for more GPB News coverage of the tornado, and it's effect on SRH and Americus.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
FEMA to cover most of Americus hospital rebuilding
Wrecking crews demolishing Sumter Regional Hospital earlier this year. The facility was severely damaged by a twister that tore through Americus on March 1, 2007. (Dave Bender/file photo)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)has approved 75 percent of a $7.4 million dollar bill for rebuilding Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus, ravaged by a tornado in 2007.
The $5.5 million FEMA aid will help equip several departments, including operating rooms and cardiac care.
State and local funding is expected to cover the remainder of the cost, according to a statement from the Governor's Office.
The hospital served as the primary care facility for seven counties until it was destroyed when a twister that ripped through Americus on March first of last year.
Meanwhile, patients are using temporary facilities nearby, that opened on April 1.
Two of a series of COGIM units set up in the hospital's parking lot, which serve patients in the interim, until a permanent facility is built. (Dave Bender/file photo)
Hospital officials say they hope to break ground on a permanent structure in early 2009.
Click here for more GPB News coverage of the twister's damage to SRH and Americus.
Friday, July 25, 2008
FEMA denies storm aid
The federal government has turned down Cherokee County's request for disaster aid for victims of a tornado on May 20th. The money would have gone to uninsured victims. The twister caused about $3 million in uninsured damage. FEMA said it denied the request because there was not enough uninsured damage in the county to meet federal requirements.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Perdue asks Bush for disaster declaration
Governor Sonny Perdue on Wednesday requested that President George Bush declare Cherokee County a major disaster area.
Perdue says such a declaration will assist residents and local governments with emergency response measures and aid for losses from the severe weather and tornadoes on May 20, according to a statement from the Governor's Office:
“This is the third tornado event this spring that has disrupted the lives of our citizens and devastated one of our communities,” Perdue said.
“I am hopeful that our federal partners will recognize the extent of this damage and will render the appropriate assistance to help the residents of Cherokee County recover in the aftermath of this severe weather.”
Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) officials estimate initial governmental response and clean up efforts will exceed $2.9 million, the statement said.
Click here for more GPB News coverage of the storms and tornadoes that have repeatedly struck the state in recent weeks.
Friday, May 23, 2008
FEMA aid for twister-struck counties
The twister's aftermath along Eisenhower Parkway, Macon, May 12th, 2008. (Josephine Bennet)
President George W. Bush on Friday approved a Federal Disaster Declaration for the 14 counties that Governor Sonny Perdue requested aid for following the Mother's Day tornadoes and severe thunderstorms on May 11-12.
“I am grateful to President Bush and FEMA Director Paulison for their quick action in offering assistance,” Perdue said. “This Federal Disaster Declaration will broaden our capability to recover from these devastating storms.”Individual assistance is now available to disaster victims in 10 counties: Bibb, Carroll, Douglas, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, McIntosh, and Twiggs.
Bush also designated that Bibb, Carroll, Crawford, Emanuel, Glynn, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, McIntosh, Treutlen, Twiggs and Wilkinson counties will all be able to receive federal funds to help offset 75 percent the cost of the initial emergency response, debris removal and restoration of damaged public facilities.
Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration will also be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance, according to a statement from the Governor's Office.
Perdue made the request May 16 for a federal declaration after touring the areas and reviewing preliminary damage assessment figures.
Residents and business owners in Bibb, Carroll, Douglas, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, McIntosh, and Twiggs counties who sustained losses can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.fema.gov/ or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired.
The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (local time) Monday through Sunday.
Click here and here for more GPB News coverage of the severe weather that struck much of central Georgia on Mother's Day.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Macon: scenes of destruction
Photos of the twister's aftermath along Eisenhower Parkway near Pio Nono Avenue, one of Macon's business districts. (All photos: Josephine Bennet, WMUM 89.7 FM, Macon)
Thousands of Georgia residents, most in Macon, are still without power this morning in the wake of destructive storms that moved through the state early Sunday morning.
Click here for more GPB News reports about the tornado's swath of destruction through central Georgia.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Severe Weather Warnings for Parts of Georgia (Friday)
Click & drag to move & zoom map, roll over graphics for details. Press F5 on your keyboard to update this map for the latest radar and weather information.
AT 532 PM EDT...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE ACROSS EASTERN CHEROKEE...WESTERN FORSYTH...AND EXTREME NORTHERN FULTON COUNTIES. THIS LINE HAS WEAKENED CONSIDERABLY AND IS NO LONGER DETECTED TO BE SEVERE. HEAVY RAIN...PEA-SIZED HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS ACTIVITY AS IT MOVES EAST AT 35 MPH. OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO DUCKTOWN...DREW...MATT AND CUMMING. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR NORTHERN GEORGIA.
Click here for National Weather Service weather updates for Georgia.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Body Found in Atlanta Tornado Rubble
Georgia counties affected by the March 14-16th storms. (Courtesy GEMA)
Workers found a body on Saturday while clearing rubble from a building damaged over a week ago when a tornado slammed into downtown Atlanta, police said.
"We may have the first tornado victim in the city of Atlanta, but we won't know for sure until the medical examiner"returns with results, Officer James Polite said.The man had no identification, but he was wearing a wedding band, Polite said.
The front of the damaged building had been a store and the rear had been rented out to a local church. Workers using a Bobcat to scoop up bricks and debris saw a hand sticking out of the rubble and called police, Polite said.
"We believe the man was seeking shelter from the storm and did not make it into the building," Polite said. "He was facing the wall when we found him."Investigators brought in two cadaver dogs to search the rubble, which was east of downtown, but no other bodies were found.
The twister struck the city with little warning March 14, cutting a 6-mile path of destruction through the city with winds gusting up to 130 miles per hour. At least 27 people were injured.
Another tornado that hit northwest Georgia on March 15 killed two Polk County residents.
Click here for more GPB News coverage of the tornado.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
GA disaster aid tops $35 M
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security say the funds were a combination of federal, state and local aid to tornado and storm-ravaged areas as of March 1, 2007, according to a DHS statement:
- $24,021,156.23 in public assistance funds
- $3,558,027.60 state share
- $20,463,128.63 FEMA share
- $9,770,700 in U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans
- $5,682,200 for homeowners and renters
- $4,088,500 for businesses and economic injury loss
- $1,354,036 in disaster assistance to families
- $906,502 for housing assistance.
- $447,534 for other needs assistance
- $247,450 in disbursed federal disaster unemployment payments
Friday, February 29, 2008
Americus: One year since deadly twister
Wrecking crews demolish ruins of Sumter Regional Hospital, severely damaged by the storm, February, 2008. (Dave Bender)
Governor Sonny Perdue and state officials will attend memorial services in Americus today, commemorating the one-year anniversary of a tornado that devastated the town.
The F-3 twister took two lives, and left a two-mile swath of destruction through the town on the night of March first, 2007.
Then and now: Doctor's Pharmacy, Americus, in Feb., 2008, and on the morning after the storm, March 2, 2007. (Dave Bender)
Perdue will join local officials and residents in mourning their loss, but, looking to a brighter future:
An anonymous donor has given a $1 million dollar donation to reconstruction efforts at the town's Sumter Regional Hospital, destroyed by the storm.
The SRH Foundation has received close to $4 million dollars in donations and equipment, according to local reports.
COGIM units set up in the hospital's parking lot, will serve patients in the interim until a permanent facility is built. (February, 2008/Dave Bender)
A temporary, 76-bed acute-care center will serve the community until a permanent hospital is built. It is slated to open in 2010. More information is available on the Internet at http://www.sumterregional.org.
Click here for more GPB News coverage of the tornado and the reconstruction.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Americus, hospital plan to rebuild from the ruins
Sumter Regional Hospital, Americus, Ga., Feb. 4, 2008. (Dave Bender)
On March first of last year, a tornado ripped through Americus, killing two and devastating the community. What did the city learn and what are their plans if such a disaster strikes again?
The force-3 twister ripped apart lives, homes, businesses and vehicles in a two-mile wide-swath of destruction. Although much of the external damage has been fixed, city and county officials are still dealing with deeper issues of planning and preparation.
Mary Ann Crowley directs the Americus chapter of Habitat for Humanity:
“These kinds of events and catastrophes in the lives of communities are not 30-minute sitcoms. They don't start and end when you want them to. You can't do the instant replay and skip the parts that you don't like.”Crowley says that long time residents of Habitat homes damaged in the tornado faced a welter of legal and insurance issues over ownership, that only a year later have been cleared up.
Little of the physical damage is left, according to Americus Mayor Barry Blount:
"Within 69 days the community was, essentially, cleaned up. The rebuilding, reconstruction has gone on - if you ride through town, you can see new buildings have been put up in place of the buildings that have been destroyed. We do still have some structures that are still, haven't been rebuilt; there are still some issues with insurance companies...”But the biggest issue in town is the local hospital. Sumter County Regional was destroyed by the tornado.
A new interim facility will open in March, exactly one year after the disaster. A completely new hospital is planned to open by 2010.
The hospital is holding a fundraiser – one of several. They're selling off the bricks of the original 1953 structure, after the bulldozers bring them down.
But other shocks to Sumter County's system are still not resolved.
Blount says there's still no county-wide emergency warning system. The city has turned to the Federal and Georgia Emergency Management Authorities for help:
“We've applied for some grants from FEMA and GEMA; thus far, we have not received any for an emergency warning system.”Blount is hopeful he'll get such a system in the coming year. But one thing has changed for the better since the tornado - communication between the Police, Sheriffs Department, city and county rescue services:
“We have rectified that, so that now all the different emergency personnel can communicate with one another.”Turning to the home front, Blount says he's told residents that first and foremost they have to get their own houses in order. That means a supply of non-perishable food, water, an evacuation plan and an emergency radio with fresh batteries.
Blount's comments echo the “YOYO-72” idea, stressing individual preparation: You're On You're On for the first 72-hours.
On February 29th, Americus is planning a commemoration of that tornado-stricken night.
Click here for more GPB News coverage of the tornado, and efforts to rebuild Americus and lives affected by the storms.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
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)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Americus hospital rises from rubble
Construction workers at Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus, ravaged by a twister on March 1st, have erected the first of a series of COGIM temporary facilities.
COGIM unit. (Photo courtesy of The Americus Times-Recorder)
The 70,000-sq. ft. facility will hold 76-beds, and be fully functional, hospital officials say.
Federal and state organizations, donors and local volunteer groups been active in caring for SRH patients in the interim, as the construction continues.
SRH the day after the tornado struck. (Dave Bender)
Click here for more GPB News coverage of the tornado and the aftermath.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
FEMA: breakdown of GA emergency aid
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that $27,968,851 million in federal and state assistance has been approved by their organization and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) to help eligible individuals, communities and counties recover from the March 1st twister and other storms that have ripped through Georgia.
Counties affected or aided include Baker, Clay, Crawford, Hancock, McDuffie, Mitchell, Muscogee, Stewart, Sumter, Taylor, Warren, Webster and Wilkinson counties, according to FEMA's latest update. Federal aid approved as of August 29, 2007 includes:
More GPB News coverage of FEMA/GEMA funding, and where much of it is went is here.
- $1,323,054 in disaster assistance has been approved through the Individuals and Households Program:
- $875,520 has been approved for Housing Assistance. This includes temporary disaster housing and help in restoring uninsured homes that were made unsafe, unsanitary or non-functional.
- $447,534 in disaster assistance has been approved for Other Needs Assistance (ONA). ONA awards are for disaster-related necessary expenses and serious needs such as medical or dental expenses; funeral expenses; moving and storage; transportation costs; and the repair or replacement of household appliances, clothing and necessary educational materials.
- $9,599,900 in loans has been approved by the SBA for homeowners, renters and businesses:
- $5,588,300 in loans for homeowners and renters.
- $4,011,600 in business loans.
- $93,235 in Disaster Unemployment Insurance has been disbursed.
- $16,952,662.23 in Public Assistance funds has been obligated.
- $ 2,463,344.34 state obligated
- $14,489,317.89 FEMA obligated
A county-by-county summary of Individual and Household Program assistance follows:
Georgia Tornado and Severe Storms Recovery Individual and Household Program: HA - Housing Assistance
ONA - Other Needs Assistance as of 8/29/07County HA Amount ONA Amount Total
Individual AssistanceBaker $120,988.24 $54,715.43 $175,703.67 Crawford $29,255.99 $4,391.52 $33,647.51 Dougherty $58,042.16 $1,711.86 $59,754.02 McDuffie $67,617.17 $47,142.07 $114,759.24 Mitchell $66,045.05 $3,104.73 $69,149.78 Sumter $313,717.04 $303,929.71 $617,646.75 Taylor $34,449.02 $11,756.77 $46,205.79 Warren $80,365.47 $350.00 $80,715.47 Worth $105,039.80 $20,432.09 $125,471.89 TOTAL $875,519.94 $447,534.18 $1,323,054.12
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Sumter, Taylor Co. tornado survivors getting more help
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is awarding $471,000 dollars to Georgia's Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases.
The funds will go toward extending a crisis counseling project for survivors of the tornado that devastated Sumter and Taylor counties March first.
Since the storm, hundreds of people have sought help overcoming psychological stress disorders. Many report suffering from feelings of despondency and helplessness.
Jeannette David, a mental health planner from the Department of Human Resources explains how outreach coordinators aid residents, providing them, "with information on how to cope, how to deal with the that stresses they're experiencing; and to let them know that, probably, any upset that they have or any stresses that they might be feeling is – normal, because they're reacting to an abnormal situation...”
The funding will continue until April, 2008.
More information is available on the survivor helpline at 1-800-342-7843.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Sumter County tornado aid tops $11M
Path of March 1 tornado through Americus, GA.
Click on image for larger view. (Dave Bender)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) say that over $11.1 million in federal disaster aid has been approved for area residents, The Americus Times-Recorder reports.
The Disaster Loan Outreach Center located in Sumter County will close Wednesday, May 2. The center was set up in the wake of the lethal tornado that mauled Americus and other areas in southwestern Georgia on March 1.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in a press release urges disaster victims to "visit the Center before the closing to obtain one-on-one assistance and information about SBA's disaster assistance program."
The Center is located at:
John Pope Industrial Center - Business Expansion Department.
South Georgia Technical College
900 South GA Tech Parkway
Americus, GA 31709
Open: Monday-Wednesday
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Closes: Wednesday, May 2 at the close of business
More information about the SBA's Disaster Loan Programs is available here: http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance
Overturned vehicle at Sumter Regional Hospital,
ravaged by tornado's winds.
Click on image for larger view. (Dave Bender)
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