Oxendine: Over $150 million in Atlanta storm damage

Click here for the latest National Weather Service update.

People get out and survey the damage in Atlanta's Cabbage Town neighborhood. At least 27 people were hurt Friday night, though no injuries were believed to be life-threatening. (AP Photo/John Amis)

State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine estimated damage from Friday night's storm at $150 million to $200 million.

Tens of thousands of basketball fans at two Atlanta arenas were perfectly safe, officials insisted Saturday, even though the crowds apparently weren't warned about an approaching tornado — one that would ravage skyscrapers and injure dozens.

About 18,000 people were watching the Southeastern Conference men's tournament Friday night at the Georgia Dome when its fabric roof began rippling, the catwalks above the court started swaying and chunks of insulation rained onto the players.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning about eight minutes before the twister hit, but it wasn't clear when or if that alert was passed on to fans, said Katy Pando, a dome spokeswoman. Fans claimed they never heard or saw one.

Another 16,000 fans watching an NBA game at Philips Arena, in the same complex as the dome, weren't told of the weather, either. The arena apparently sustained little damage, Atlanta Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche said.

Governor Sonny Perdue and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin declared a state of emergency in several areas in Atlanta.

A sign rests atop four cars in a downtown Atlanta parking lot after a tornado touched down Friday evening, pictured Saturday March 15, 2008. (AP / Ron Williams)

The tornado, with wind up to 130 mph, cut a 6-mile path through downtown Atlanta, smashing hundreds of windows in and around the CNN Center, blowing furniture and luggage out of hotel rooms and crumbling part of an apartment building.

A cab sits in the debris in front of CNN Center in downtown Atlanta Friday, March 14, 2008.
(AP Photo/Dave Martin)

At least two people died in Polk and Floyd counties from the storms. A third is reported in critical condition.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the storm damage in downtown Atlanta Friday evening.

Click here for tornado and severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service for the Atlanta area and statewide.

(The Associated Press)

Severe storms leave two dead

Blown out windows can be seen behind the rubble of a heavily damaged building in downtown Atlanta, caused by a tornado which struck the area late Friday night. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

At least two people have died in Polk and Floyd counties from powerful storms near the state border with Alabama. The latest severe weather comes after a Tornado with winds of up to 130 miles per hour trashed downtown Atlanta last night. At least 27 people were hurt.

Governor Sonny Perdue and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin declared a state of emergency in several areas in Atlanta.

Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine estimated damage from Friday night's storm at $150 million to $200 million, most of it at the Georgia World Congress Center, a state convention facility near the CNN Center and the Georgia Dome.

People walk away from the Omni Hotel in downtown Atlanta Saturday morning. The hotel was damaged from a tornado which struck the area late Friday night. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the storm damage in downtown Atlanta Friday evening.

Click here for tornado and severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service for the Atlanta area and statewide.

(The Associated Press)

Rare Snow Blankets South as East Braces For Storm (Photos)

A powerful March snowstorm blanketed much of Alabama and then marched across Georgia on Sunday, forcing some flight cancellations in Atlanta as the East Coast braced for a potential pummeling.

Peachtree Ave., midtown Atlanta on Sunday afternoon, Mar. 1, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

The weather service said winter storm warnings are in effect from northern Georgia and the Carolinas through the Mid-Atlantic states into New England.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways canceled some Sunday flights and a Federal Aviation Administration Web site said flights to
Atlanta were experiencing average delays of nearly two hours.

AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson said flights out of Atlanta into the Northeast may also be canceled Sunday night as the messy, developing storm took aim at walloping at wide swath of the East Coast up through Maine.

"I expect the Northeast will be hit pretty hard tonight so our expectations is that people flying into Washington, D.C., and Boston will need to call or check our Web site for possible cancellations," Hutcheson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Delta spokesman Brian Kruse said the airline is monitoring the weather and asking customers flying to, from or through Atlanta to call Delta or check its Web site for updates.

Georgia Tech students A.D. Barfield, Lily Manavi, and Candace Farr discuss the merits of their snowman. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Despite above-freezing temperatures, a heavy flurry of snow fell on downtown Atlanta, blanketing cars and creating slushy streets and sidewalks. It hadn't snowed in Atlanta for more than a year — the area received 1.4 inches of snow in January 2008, said Laura Griffith of the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Ga.

I-75/85 connector, near 14th St. bridge construction. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Georgia transportation officials warned of potential icy conditions on roadways in middle and northern counties through Monday morning. No icing on roadways, bridges or other overpasses had been reported through midday Sunday, but as temperatures drop Sunday night, officials warn motorists that ice could be a threat.

Outside the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta, Flori Kwon of Claremont, Calif. took pictures of her son Jake, 5, playing in the snow.

"He wants to make a snowman but I don't think there's enough snow," Kwon said while large snowflakes landed in her hair. "We're kind of surprised it's snowing."

The late Southern snowfall brought back memories of a large storm in 1993 that forecasters nicknamed the "Snowfall of the Century," affecting the region from Alabama to north of Washington, D.C. on March 13, 1993, Griffith said. In that storm, Atlanta received 4.2 inches of snow and 13 inches of snow fell on Birmingham, Ala.


Pedestrians and snowmen at an overpass in midtown Atlanta. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Meanwhile, tornado watches were in effect from northern Florida into coastal Georgia and southern South Carolina.

Crossing Peachtree Ave., in midtown Atlanta, as the snow blows around. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Despite above-freezing temperatures in downtown Atlanta, a heavy curtain of snow fell on cars and caused traffic accidents on slushy streets. The unusual weather prompted 26-year-old Jessi Prahl and Max DiPace to take their dog, Cooper, on a walk through snow-covered Piedmont Park in Atlanta.

Says Prahl: "You know us Southerners, we all freak out when it snows."

(AP)
---
Send us your snow photos (in standard .jpg format), and we'll post the best ones here: dbender at gpb dot org (replace the "at" with @ and "Dot" with .)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of today's wintry weather.

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.

Atlanta: The clean-up and the accounting

Two cars are partially buried under the rubble of a twister-hit building. Centennial Olympic Park area, March 16, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Georgia officials say cleaning up the debris from the streets of downtown Atlanta won't take as long as repairing the financial damage caused by the tornado that ripped through the city's core.
Scrap metal dealer Jessie Callaway cautiously picks his way through the rubble of a brick building ripped apart by the tornado, March 16, 2008. Centennial Park area. (Dave Bender)

Scrap metal dealer, Jessie Callaway was born and grew up in the neighborhood. He's rummaging through a pile of metal shards in an old building. The twister ripped off two of the corner building's brick walls:

“Yeah, I clean up more ways than one. I'm fixin' to clean that up right now (laughs). It was devastating out here -- I just couldn't believe it -- I ain't never seen nothin' like this before in the state of Georgia.”

Several landmarks, including the Georgia World Congress Center, were in the path of the storm, which danced along the Atlanta skyline for about 20 minutes on Friday night. The city's main convention center and two major hotels find themselves hobbled as the convention season begins.

CNN Center and the Omni Hotel. TV trucks and cranes were a common sight in downtown Atlanta on Sunday morning. Centennial Olympic Park area, March 16, 2008. (Dave Bender).

With the closing this weekend of the complex which includes the huge convention center, the Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park, the facility lost the Atlanta Home Show, a dental convention and much of the Southeastern Conference basketball tournament.

Workmen at the Georgia World Congress Center sweep up shards of glass, as glazier crews behind them replace windows shattered in the storm. March 16, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Dan Graveline, executive director of the Georgia World Congress Center, said today on a walking tour with reporters and that it's still too early to add up the damage. Graveline says he hopes repairs will begin soon, starting with the areas that can be fixed most quickly. Graveline says the damage that can't be seen at a glance is also a concern.

Atlanta resident Terry Lewis, who came downtown to survey the mechanized clean-up wearing a hard-hat, compared it to the havoc in her East Atlanta Village neighborhood, where a number of families suffered significant damage to their homes and vehicles:

“This is stunning ... [but] it was actually kind of more heart-wrenching to see what was happening with my neighborhood and my neighbors; the amount of home damage and car damage... yeah – there's not a lot of people here, so you're not seeing the human toll you're seeing in the neighborhood.”

Governor Sonny Perdue, who also was at the news conference, expressed relief and gratitude for the minimal loss of life and quick response of emergency workers.


A sign company crew re-welds a fallen billboard behind a car, its roof collapsed from falling debris. Centennial Olympic Park area, March 16, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Hotel officials say they are most concerned about getting the Georgia World Congress Center back into shape as a conference venue. They say their own facilities had minor damage in comparison.


The Westin Hotel is framed by a sign company's stinger truck cranes. Many of the hotel's windows were blown out by the winds. Centennial Olympic Park area, March 16, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Daniel Shmittou, whose renovation firm was called in to save a tornado-damaged structure on Saturday, has one word for the results:

“Devastating. I've been here since '79, and I've never seen anything like it. It's truly a sad day.”

Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, who toured the area Saturday estimates the damages at upwards of 200 million dollars.

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

(With The Associated Press)

Scientists: City, Drought Fueled Atlanta's Freak Tornado

The freak tornado that damaged downtown Atlanta last year might have been caused in part by the city itself. New research funded by NASA shows that, while the twister was spawned by a larger weather system, it also might have been made stronger by a "heat island" that surrounds Atlanta.

University of Georgia geography professor Marshall Shepherd was part of the study and says, the research could help to improve weather forecasts. "Land cover and soil moisture affect weather processes and right now many of our weather forecasting models today don't represent urban landcover or soil moisture as well as they should," Dr. Shepherd says.

The study also says, Georgia's on-going drought could have been a factor by creating what amounted to a "sea breeze" between wet and dry areas. The downtown Atlanta tornado struck almost exactly a year ago today, causing only minor injuries, but millions of dollars damage.

Powered by Podbean.com

Tornado cleanup causes massive Atlanta traffic problems

Commuters heading into Atlanta today are dealing with massive traffic backups as the city cleans-up from tornado damage over the weekend.

Traffic on at least two of the major interstates heading into downtown Atlanta was backing-up for several miles late this morning. Numerous street closures and dozens of traffic light outages across the city are causing drivers to look for alternate routes, or be stuck in long backups.

The city is in cleanup and repair mode following a destructive tornado that cut through Friday night. The twister was the first in recorded history to slice through Atlanta’s downtown. It struck a tourism district around the Centennial Olympic Park, and hit nearby neighborhoods in its 6-mile path.

Damage includes blown-out windows on high-rises, buildings with walls torn away, and a loft-residence complex with a completely collapsed roof. The city’s main convention center took significant damage.

Officials say early damage estimates in the city total at least 150-million dollars.

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

UGA Study Shows Drought-Tornado Link

A University of Georgia researcher says there’s a surprising connection between periods of drought and the number of tornadoes that strike the Southeast.

The past two springs have produced numerous and damaging twisters. Several hit north, central and south Georgia this February through April. And it was the destructive March 2008 Atlanta tornado that spurred Marshall Shepherd to launch a study--is it rare to see such activity, coming out of drought conditions of the previous fall and winter seasons?

The associate professor with UGA’s Atmospheric Sciences Department went back through decades of records, finding this result 93-percent of the time in the southeast:

"The strongest statistical result that is related to the fact that when there’s drought there’s below normal activity. We haven’t been able to establish a strong link that suggests when the fall and winter is wetter, that you have even more tornadoes the following spring."

Shepherd says he wants to compare this research with that from the tornado-alleys of the Midwest. He says further study could lead forecasters to better predict seasonal tornado-activity…much like hurricane predictions made annually.

Atlanta: Rain, Winds, Possible Tornadoes in S. Ga.

Click here or on the map for real-time weather updates from the National Weather Service.

There were reports of tornadoes in south and southwest Georgia Saturday night, while metro Atlanta was hit with wind and scattered showers.

The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee, Fla., said there were no confirmed reports of any tornadoes in the state of Georgia.

But they said there were two weather events they suspect were tornadoes, one in Worth County and the other in Turner County, both Saturday night.

A third weather event in Early County Saturday evening was reported as a tornado but has not been confirmed. Trees were reported down in all three incidents. There was minor property damage as well.

Meteorologist Kelly Godsey said there were no reports of any injuries.

Worth and Turner counties are in south Georgia. Early County is in southwest Georgia.

Although the Atlanta area has been drenched with rain, the National Weather Service says it may not be enough to put a dent in the state's drought or avoid a record-low year for rainfall.
Meterologist Robert Beasley of the National Weather Service says four-tenths of an inch of rain has fallen in the Atlanta area.

The low amount of rain this year - about 27.66 inches of rain as of Saturday - puts the area on pace to break a record low of 29.14 inches of rainfall set in 1931, according to the National Weather Service.

Beasley says the area likely will get up to 2-1/2 inches of rain before the end of the year.

(The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB weather coverage.

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.

Stormy weather forces street re-closures in Atlanta

Police and fire officials in Atlanta re-closed several streets in a section of the downtown area yesterday, and many still remained closed early this morning. The reason is the possibility of falling glass and debris from some buildings in the midst of another weather system that moved through the area yesterday. Strong winds and rain hit the area Wednesday, and winds were still a concern into Thursday. Atlanta is continuing its cleanup and repair from last Friday’s destructive tornado that ripped through a six-mile section of the city.

Severe storms hit; planes delayed at Hartsfield

Severe storms are sweeping across much of north Georgia, generating heavy rain, hail and winds thatdowned trees and powerlines. Flights were delayed for up to 90 minutes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as dark gray clouds swirled in from the west. A possible tornado was reported in northwest Georgia's Chattooga County. Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Peachtree Citywere so busy tracking the storms that they could not immediately confirm the twister. Georgia Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ken Davis says there's a report of three possible tornadoes striking in FranklinCounty, more than a 100 miles away in northeast Georgia. Heavy storms also pelted several counties south of Atlanta.

(Associated Press)

Storm rips through downtown Atlanta causing major damage

A storm in Atlanta last night injured at least 20 people in its path. It came down hard on the area around Centennial Olympic park. Forty-foot billboards and trees toppled, cutting power lines and destroying cars. Glass and debris littered the streets throughout downtown. It interrupted an SEC championship game at the Georgia Dome. Outside Anne Stith of Lexington, Kentucky was selling t-shirts.

"I was trying to get the t-shirts off of the counter into the trailer and I felt the trailer lift up," she said. " You could see it clearly. It was a twister."

The path of destruction continued through neighborhoods. It moved into Cabbage Town. Debra Spitzer was visiting her brother there when a huge oak tree crashed through the roof.

"And all he could holler was, 'Sis, where are you," she said. "Bricks and stuff was just falling on me and I just said God help me, please God."

Spitzer's brother was taken to the hospital for minor injuries. The city has canceled a St. Patricks Day parade. The remaining SEC championship games have been moved to Georgia Tech because of damage to the Georgia Dome. There was no tornado warning and Mayor Franklin promised a thorough investigation. Thousands of people are still without power.

Georgia sports for Monday, March 17th

The Georgia Bulldogs' men's basketball team completed an improbable run over the weekend, culminating in earning a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Georgia beat Arkansas 66-57 Sunday afternoon to clinch the Southeastern Conference tournament championship. The victory was the fourth in 4 days for the Bulldogs, who won only 4 conference games throughout the regular season. Because of the tornado that hit Atlanta Friday night, the final two days of the SEC Tourney had to be played in Georgia Tech's arena nearby. With Georgia's scheduled game Friday night postponed, they were put in the position of needing to play two games, and win both to advance--they did. Georgia earned a #14 seed in the NCAA's--they'll play Xavier on Thursday. The Bulldogs' weekend run also saved head coach Dennis Felton's job, as Athletics Director Damon Evans announced Felton would return.

Spring training baseball out of Sunday--victory for the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2. Yunel Escobar nailed a 2-run homer as part of the offense.

Perdue requests federal help for storm damage

Governor Sonny Perdue has requested the federal government for a major disaster declaration to help the city of Atlanta and Fulton County in its cleanup and repair efforts from last weekend's storms. An approval would provide federal funds for emergency response measures and aid for losses.

Perdue made the announcement Monday after concluding a tour of storm-affected areas in northwest Georgia. Polk, Floyd, and Bartow counties were hit by strong storms and tornadoes on Saturday. Two people were reported killed and at least 20 homes destroyed. Perdue says as damage assessments continue to come in, areas of NW Georgia could be added to the declaration request.

State insurance officials now say that the storms that hit Georgia over the past weekend are the most expensive in the state's history--hitting the mark of 250-million dollars. In Atlanta, where a tornado struck the downtown-area Friday night, the damage number is well over 150-million dollars alone.

Little Damage Reported from Cherokee County Twister

Several residents in Cherokee County were stuck inside their homes after a reported tornado touched down. The suspected twister is being blamed for damaging several homes and falling trees in the Canton neighborhood, about 30 miles north of Atlanta. A spokesman for the county issued a statement late last night saying there have been no injuries in the area. However, officials also warn many roadways are blocked due to fallen debris.

Tornado damage, hefty expense

Damage claims from last week’s north metro-Atlanta tornadoes have climbed to more than $40 million…and are expected to increase. Now, the year-to-date total for Georgia’s weather damage stands at $415 million. The Georgia Insurance Commissioner’s office says it will take a little more time to announce final numbers of insured and uninsured damages.

Severe weather moving through Georgia

Radar image of affected area. Click on the image for an interactive map. (National Weather Service)

Severe storms that spawned tornadoes in Tennesee, Arkansas, and Kentucky overnight are now moving into Georgia this morning.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for a 42-county area of the state until 2pm this afternoon. The watch-area is for people in areas of the state extending from northwest Georgia, south through the metro Atlanta area, into central and west-central Georgia.

The storms that moved through areas of the South overnight are reported to have killed 44 people.

Clikc here for updated NWS information.

Governor says tornado damage to state property extensive

The weekend tornadoes did extensive damage to state property incluing the World Congress Center. A volleyball tournament expected to draw over 35,000 people this weekend had to be moved to other venues around Atlanta. Officials say they hope to re-open very soon. Governor Perdue says damage estimates are still coming in, though damage to state property is extensive

"It looks like from the state properties there is good insurance coverage," Perdue said. "The damage was extreme from one end of the state to the other and we're still trying to get those numbers together."

Perdue says there is a possibility that the current state budget could be affected once the final damage estmates come in.

Downtown clean-up after tornado

Voices and scenes of the results of the destructive twister that pummeled downtown Atlanta, on the night of Friday, March 14th, 2008, and the cleanup operation on Sunday morning.