Tornado Warning Across N. Georgia (UPDATE)

---UPDATE:

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN WALKER COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAS EXITED WALKER COUNTY.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM EST FOR MURRAY...SOUTHEASTERN WHITFIELD...GORDON AND NORTHERN BARTOW COUNTIES...

AT 545 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 60 MPH. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM CHATSWORTH TO AUDUBON TO ADAIRSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO ETON... REDBUD...RAMHURST...FARMVILLE...FORT MOUNTAIN STATE PARK...FOLSOM...SONORAVILLE...OAKMAN...CARTERS...RANGER...FUNKHOUSER AND FAIRMOUNT.

---

A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5:45 PM EST FOR EASTERN CHATTOOGA AND FLOYD COUNTIES...

AT 524 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A LINE OF TORNADO PRODUCING STORMS. THESE TORNADO PRODUCING

STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM EVERETT SPRINGS TO ARMUCHEE TO ROME...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

A ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF A HOME NEAR HOLLAND! THIS IS A DANGEROUS LINE OF STORMS.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SHANNON AND PINSON.

Click here for detailed National Weather Service updates.

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.

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)

Tornado Confirmed in NE Georgia Saturday

Violent storms that moved across north Georgia Saturday spawned at least one confirmed tornado in northeast Georgia.

The National Weather Service in Greenville, SC said a tornado touched down in Franklin and Hart County Saturday afternoon.

“The tornado moved across an intermediate track from Franklin Springs in Franklin County to just south of Royston in Hart County. Winds were estimated to be between 70 and 80mph along this track,” explained meteorologist John Tomko.

Tomko said the EF1 tornado cut a swath about three miles long.

Franklin Springs residents in the path of the storm reported numerous downed trees and power lines, but no injuries. Hart County EMC, which serves the area reported about 1,000 homes without power.

Royston reported dime-sized hail, but no major damage and no injuries.

Meantime in Banks County, shoppers at the Tanger Outlet Mall in Commerce reported being stuck for a time Saturday afternoon as strong winds, rain, and dime-sized hail battered the area, but no major damage was reported.

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.

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 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)

Report: schools need tornado-proof room

Federal weather officials said a March 1st tornado outbreak that struck Alabama and Georgia, killing eight students huddled inside Enterprise High School in Alabama, showed the need for a "hardened safe room" for use during storms.

The National Weather Service says in its report today that Enterprise school officials and students followed appropriate safety measures before and during the tornado, but the storm demonstrated the need for a safe-room shelter. Besides the deaths in Enterprise, the tornado outbreak killed six people in a mobile home park near Newton, Ggeorgia, and five others elsewhere in Alabama and Georgia.

The Weather Service report says a total of 31 verified tornadoes struck 45 counties in Georgia and south Alabama, including 13 packing winds of 113 miles an hour or stronger. The deadliest hit Enterprise with winds of 200 miles an hour.

Several Georgia Counties Declared Disaster Areas

President Barack Obama has declared 18Georgia counties disaster areas following March storms. The action makes federal dollars available for people in South Georgia. In March severe storms struck the area causing tornado's, heavy rains, and eventually severe flooding.
The money can be used to help home and business owners make repairs, pay for temporary housing, and other things not covered by insurance. Some of the money will come in the form of grants, while other dollars will be available through low interest loans.
Farmers will also be eligible for help. Many were in the midst of planting when the storms hit and will have to replant their fields. The counties in the declaration area include; Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Coffee, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Echols, Lanier, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Pierce, Tift, Ware, Wheeler, and Worth.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will work with residents, helping them to apply for help.

Tornado Confirmed For Damage In Cherokee County

The severe storms of Sunday night for parts of the state did result in at least one confirmed tornado. The National Weather Service says a twister did touch down for a few seconds in a Cherokee County neighborhood. That’s all it took for more than 100 homes to sustain some level of damage, and 12 to be completely destroyed. Officials say the tornado was a half-mile wide and left a destructive path over a mile long. Reported twisters in north Georgia’s Cobb County, and west Georgia’s Muscogee County have not been confirmed.

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.

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.

$28M for tornado recovery

Georgia will have access to $28-million state and federal relief funds to help recover from March tornadoes. Today Governor Sonny Perdue announced the money for eligible people and communities in Sumter and surrounding counties in southeast Georgia. 15 counties hit by tornadoes March 1st received a Presidential Disaster Declaration. One tornado destroyed Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus. Nine people died in the storms.

Click here for a breakdown of where the aid is going, and more GPB coverage of the twisters that swept through southwest Georgia.

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.

Middle Georgia Twisters

Strong storms swept through several Middle Georgia counties on Wednesday night causing widespread damage from high winds and possible tornadoes.
All across Middle Georgia there were reports of damage. Jasper, Putnam and Hancock County were the hardest hit. Eighty year-old Johnny Frank Baker of Hancock County died when his mobile home was destroyed. His daughter and grandchildren were injured. Lynda Reynolds lives in Hancock County and describes the damage.

"Just debris everywhere. There was a log home that was completely lifted off of the foundation and set back down with trees on top of it. Hickory Grove Church was completely destroyed."

The storm also caused a suspected tornado in Eatonton. Putnam County Sheriff Howards Sills says it completely destroyed a bar called, "Robert Parham's Place," with four people inside.

"Mr. Parham himself was in there. He got down beneath the bar and everything else is gone, but I guess that protected him. The other two people were missing for a short period of time but we found them pretty quick."

The line of storms also destroyed several buildings in Jasper County.

Federal tornado-disaster aid approved

More than $600,000 in federal disaster aid has been approved for state residents affected by tornadoes that ripped through the state Mother’s Day weekend.

Federal officials say over 3-thousand victims of the storms have filed for various forms of assistance. The storms of May 11th and 12th killed 3 people, and caused more than 125-million dollars in damage.

Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency in 13 counties.

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.

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:

• $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 8/29/07
County	HA Amount	ONA Amount	Total Individual Assistance
Baker	$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

More GPB News coverage of FEMA/GEMA funding, and where much of it is went is here.

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.

The tornado demolished this enclosed corridor, "part of an old military barracks on the Southwestern State Hospital campus." (Photo: Teresa Williams/Thomasville Times-Enterprise)

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.

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.