FEMA cuts Macon funds

Residents in and around Macon are still cleaning up from a series of deadly tornadoes that ripped through the area in May. Now the federal government says there will be less money for that cleanup.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is deducting 130-thousand dollars from the amount it will pay the city. Officials at FEMA say Macon still owes them money from the Flood of 1994.
That flood came as a result of Tropical Storm Alberto and was the worst disaster in Macon's history. The city was without water for more than two weeks. FEMA says Macon did not properly document some expenses during the flood.
The cleanup for the so-called, Mothers Day Tornado's, that killed three, could cost Macon as much as 3-million dollars. FEMA will pay about 80-percent of those expenses, minus the 130-thousand dollars.

Georgia officials hunting "storm-chaser" contractors

One of the results of the EF-2 tornado that plowed through Macon on May 11th: a resident salvages belongings in a demolished building in the city's business district. (Josephine Bennet)

The State of Georgia is cracking down on “fly-by-night” contractors who don't take proper care of their workers.

The State Board of Workers' Compensation arrested several subcontractors in Macon and the Bibb County area this week.

The collars are part of a sweep to enforce state laws requiring employers to insure their crews.

Stan Bexley heads the board's enforcement division:

“As a result of the sweep thus far, we've had five criminal warrants issued, three arrests have been made and seven premium fraud cases have been opened for further investigation.”

Bexley warns homeowners to watch out for so-called “storm-chasers,” who arrive after bad weather, do shoddy repairs with substandard parts, and then take off without guaranteeing their work.

SBWC officials are focusing on areas that were hard-hit by a string of tornadoes on May 11th that caused several million dollars in damage.

More information is available at the SBWC website.http://tiny.cc/aB1bT.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the damages caused by the tornadoes.

Macon tornado clean up continues

Scenes of the tornado cleanup in Macon: a wood chipper grinds through debris, as a backhoe digs through hills of fallen trees nearby. (Josephine Bennet)

Macon Mayor Robert Reichert is urging residents to be patient. Nearly two months after an F-2 tornado crisscrossed its way through the city the cleanup continues.

Original predictions by the Federal Emergency Management Agency underestimated the amount of debris left by the storm. Reichert says 250 truckloads a day are being brought to a large dump site located near a paper mill operated by Graphic Packaging. The paper mill is recycling some of the debris. FEMA regulations say all trucks must be weighed and counted.

"We've got thousands of dump truck loads to gather up and bring here. Thousands of them. Each load has to be monitored to be sure that it is filled and appropriately packed because FEMA regulations require that the loads be monitored."

The mayor says it will be up to 60 days before they are finished. He says some of the wood waste is being turned into mulch. That mulch will eventually be available free of charge to residents.

Original estimates put the cost of debris removal at 1.2 million dollars. That figure is expected to rise.

Macon soon to receive federal aid

After a meeting with state and federal emergency management officials, Macon is one step closer to receiving federal dollars for tornado relief.

The city qualified for the money after President Bush declared several Georgia counties disaster areas. The designation clears the way for federal help. Officials from Macon and Bibb County learned how to navigate their way through a ten step process.

Gary Rice is with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. He says one of the first steps is what FEMA calls an applicants briefing.

"What we do is we come in from the state side and try to brief the cities and counties that's been affected on the policies and procedures that we'll have to follow in order to qualify for Federal reimbursement," said Rice.

Local agencies are now submitting their financial proposals to FEMA and plan to meet in the coming weeks to kick off the recovery. The Mother's Day tornado's caused millions of dollars in damage in several Middle Georgia counties.

(Josephine Bennett reporting)

Tornado damage tally rising

Investigators are still trying to decide just how much damage was caused by last weekend’s tornado in Macon. Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner, John Oxendine took a helicopter tour of the city and calls the damage “remarkable.” Insured losses could approach 100-million dollars. Officials are still assessing damage for those without insurance to see if they qualify for federal help. However, power has been restored to most homes and all schools have reopened. Relief workers have served well over 10,000 meals and continue to help people clean up.

Seven more counties join 'state of emergency' list

Macon: a resident salvages belongings from building in the city's business district demolished by the EF2 tornado that struck early Sunday morning, May 11, 2008. (Josephine Bennet)

Governor Sonny Perdue issued an executive order on Monday declaring a state of emergency in seven additional counties affected by tornadoes that struck on Sunday.

Clayton, Crawford, Emanuel, Glynn, Jenkins, McIntosh, and Twiggs counties were added to Bibb, Carroll, Douglas, Jefferson, Johnson and Laurens, on the state of emergency list.

“We are working together to ensure response efforts reach all Georgians affected by these storms,” Perdue said. “Joint local, state and federal assessment teams will continue to determine the full scope of the damage to businesses, state facilities and residences.”

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) activated the state’s Emergency Operations Plan and an operations center to support the affected counties on Sunday. The Special Operations Center (SOC) will monitor the situation, and operate until further notice.

Perdue toured damaged areas in middle Georgia early Monday morning.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the aftermath of the severe weekend weather.

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.

Tornadoes confirmed: state of emergency declared

At least five tornadoes hit west central, north central, and central Georgia early Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Tornadoes may have also touched down in Johnson, Treutlen, Fulton and Troup counties, according to reports.

Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency in Bibb, Carroll, Douglas, Jefferson, Johnson and Laurens counties Sunday evening.

"Last night's storms left trees downed, houses damaged and roads blocked across western and central Georgia," Perdue said.

"Needed state resources are being made available to assist in the cleanup efforts, and we will continue to actively work with local officials to support them"

The step enables the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) to initiate emergency operations.

Damaged houses on Lake Tobesofkee. (Woody Marshall, The Macon Telegraph)

"As with all disasters, GEMA will coordinate the deployment of public safety agencies, utility companies and the volunteer community to meet the needs of our citizens," GEMA Director Charley English said.

An EF2 tornado packing winds of 111 to 135 mph hit Macon between 5:45 and 6 a.m. Sunday morning, local officials said.

Laurens Co. resident Tracey Clements, was killed in his mobile home by the storm, Laurens County coroner Richard Stanley said, according to Macon.com.

Clements' wife and children sustained varying degrees of injuries when the winds flipped over their double-wide trailer, Stanley said.

Macon Mayor Robert Reichert said Perdue is expected to visit the area on Monday to assess the damage.

A tornado touched down at Macon State College's campus, causing significant damage, and uprooting or breaking about half the trees on campus, according to the National Weather Service.

The college will be closed on Monday.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the twister and storm damage.

GPB Reporters win AP Awards

Georgia Public Broadcasting Reporter Orlando Montoya of Member station WSVH in Savannah won an Associated Press Award for Best Investigative Reporting. It was a story about controversial sheriff in Camden County that convinced the judges.

GPB Columbus reporter Dave Bender scored a win in the category of Specialized Reporting for his story about the proposed coal plant in Early County.

Josephine Bennett, GPB' s Macon Reporter Received an honorable mention for her story on tornado damage in Crawford County.

Emily Kopp's story about the dangers of Mercury from coal fired power plants won an honorable mention in Investigative Reporting.

You can listen to GPB's winning entries here.

Strong storms moving into Georgia

There is severe weather moving into Georgia this morning--counties in extreme west Georgia are under a tornado watch until 10am this morning. Strong storms are expected to move from the northwest to the southeast, bringing 1-2 inches of rain. Forecasters warn the weather could be similar to that of last week, which caused 15-million dollars of damage to over a thousand homes--Carroll County was especially hard hit. Storms should reach Macon and Athens by mid-afternoon today, and then to the coast by sunset before moving out.

Storms, high winds sweep across west Georgia

Click map for full-size image. Courtesy National Weather Service

Multiple counties in western and northwestern Georgia were under tornado warnings and watches through most of Sunday afternoon and evening.

There were unconfirmed reports that tornados had touched down in areas northwest of Atlanta, as well as further south near Columbus and Macon.

Residents in the metro Atlanta area reported heavy rain, flooded streets and underpasses and, in some cases, large hailstones.

Georgia Power reports some 5,000 households without power in central Georgia, after high winds knocked down power lines.

A tornado warning remains in effect until 01:00 Monday morning, across a wide swath of central Georgia, according to the National Weather Service. Click here for real-time updates and further details.