Updated: Thursday, 28 Apr 2011, 10:19 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 27 Apr 2011, 8:26 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 27 Apr 2011, 8:26 PM EDT
By MYFOXATLANTA STAFF/myfoxatlanta
ATLANTA - Deadly storms and tornadoes that ripped through Georgia Wednesday night and early Thursday have killed at least a dozen people and has prompted Governor Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency for several counties in the the state.
The governor has declared a state of emergency in Bartow, Catoosa, Coweta, Dade, Floyd, Greene, Lamar, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Spalding, Troup and Walker counties.
State officials say at 11:30 a.m., the governor will arrive in Ringgold in Catoosa County. He is expected to assess damage there by helicopter.
Crystal Paulk-Buchanan of GEMA says the Red Cross is operating three emergency shelters: one in Catossa County at Ft. Oglethorpe High School, one in Dade County at the First Baptist Church of Trenton and one in Walker County at the Walker County Agricultural Center.
State and local officials are reporting 13 deaths in the state, but officials are concerned that number may rise as the brunt of the storm moves through the state.
Emergency officials said over 100 people have died in five states as a result of the storms which moved across the south, including 131 in Alabama and 13 in Georgia. Crystal Paulk-Buchanan of GEMA told FOX 5 News that there were at least seven fatalities in the hard-hit area of Ringgold and two fatalities in Dade County.
Brian Robinson with the governor’s office spoke to FOX 5 said two of those fatalities were in Dade County and the other in Floyd County, and there was a possibility the death toll will rise after as search and rescue efforts continue in several areas across the state. The State of Emergency currently covers Chattooga, Floyd, Dade and Walker counties, with more expected to be added to the list.
Robinson said GEMA had been preparing for this storm for days by coordinating with local governments to help coordinate response efforts.
The severe weather started during the morning hours on Wednesday with Floyd County getting the brunt of the first wave. Emergency managers there reported four people injured from the storms. That number would rise during the day as they received a second and third wave. Officials said they surveyed over 150 homes and over a dozen businesses were initially damaged.
Travel through the Rome area was hampered with over 30 road closures. Both Shorter University and Berry College canceled evening classed because they had no power, something that was problem for a number of residents.
GEMA reported hospitals in Floyd County experienced windows blown out, but no one was injured as a result. A few of them had to go onto generator power for hours while power crews rushed to restore power.
Just to the south in Bartow County, emergency workers were busy all day trying to clean up damage caused by the passing storms through the county. They report about 5,600 people were without power as a result of damage in the area. Schools in Bartow County were closed for Thursday.
Dade County was one of the hardest hit in the second wave of storms which moved into Georgia. Emergency managers there said two people were killed and dozens were rushed to area hospitals. They said the bulk of the damage was in the city of Trenton, where FOX 5 crews described many structures as being “flattened” when they first arrived early Wednesday evening. Rescue crews were working into the night searching for people who were still missing hours after the initial storm. Their efforts were continually hampered by several waves of warnings following the initial assault. GEMA reported an elementary school in the area sustained some roof damage, but no one was inside at the time.
Officials in Dade County suspect a tornado hit Trenton, but say that has not been confirmed.
Spalding County reports two fatalities. Officials say the severe storms tore a mobile home from its foundation and tossed it nearly 500 feet. The two victims -- a male and a female -- were found near the mobile home. Several areas in the county were also damaged.
Deputy EMA Director Betty Martin says two people were killed in the Lamar County town of Barnesville when storms passed through early Thursday morning. Four people are also reported missing.
Bartow County emergency officials say they believe a tornado may be to blame for damaging a line of houses between the Adairsville and Snow Springs. Search and rescue operations were underway after they received reports of people possibly trapped in some of those homes. A spokesperson with the GEMA told FOX 5 that rescue teams were dispatched to homes in the Crows Springs area to help people out of their homes which were damaged by wind and falling trees.
The oddest storm damage report came out of Pickens County, where about 100,000 chickens got loose after four chicken houses were destroyed. Officials believe they might have had two or three tornadoes rip through the county. The storms destroyed mobile homes and blocked roads for hours.
Officials in Meriwether County were busy checking a hotel, nursing home, and several neighborhoods including two mobile home parks for serious damage and possible injuries. Schools in Meriweather County were closed for Thursday due to the damage.
A fire station was destroyed along with 10 homes after reports of a tornado touchdown. Crews worked to clear the roadways of trees and other debris left behind.
Authorities in Troup County were working widespread power outages in addition to downed trees and damaged homes.
Polk County officials believe a tornado might have moved through the area damaging up to 25 homes in the Jackson Chapel Road and Mountain Home Road areas. It took crews hours to clear blocked roadways and check damaged areas.
A similar situation in Walker County, where about 65 homes were damaged and 30 were destroyed. Emergency managers reported a tornado was to blame. They opened a shelter for those displaced at the Walker County Agriculture Center.
At least two other counties opened shelters ahead of the storm. Hayes Elementary School in Kennesaw also opened their doors overnight to residents of nearby Castle Lake Mobile Home Park. Paulding County was also asking residents who needed a secure place to ride out the storms to call a hotline, but they were able to close the shelter around 11:30 p.m.
The storm also toppled tractor trailers at the KIA plant in West Point. Worker Jon Hazel says employees have been told to go home for the day so the damage can be assessed and cleaned up.
Georgia Power crews were working well into the evening trying to restore the over 78,000 customers statewide who lost power the height of the storm. A spokesperson told FOX 5 they are working through the night as the weather permits and when conditions are safe. As of 5 a.m., they only had 54,000 customers in the dark, mostly in northwest Georgia.
EMCs of Georgia are reporting about 17,000 customers are without power, mostly in the counties under the State of Emergency declaration.
The FAA reported flight delays across the Southeast as the line of storms moved through Wednesday. Several flights to and from Alabama at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport were canceled following the report of several extremely strong tornadoes hitting the state. Most flights were able to get in or out of the airport before the brunt of the storm passed over the runways. Some airlines will be working to catch up on a handful of canceled flights on Thursday morning.
The governor has declared a state of emergency in Bartow, Catoosa, Coweta, Dade, Floyd, Greene, Lamar, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Spalding, Troup and Walker counties.
State officials say at 11:30 a.m., the governor will arrive in Ringgold in Catoosa County. He is expected to assess damage there by helicopter.
Crystal Paulk-Buchanan of GEMA says the Red Cross is operating three emergency shelters: one in Catossa County at Ft. Oglethorpe High School, one in Dade County at the First Baptist Church of Trenton and one in Walker County at the Walker County Agricultural Center.
State and local officials are reporting 13 deaths in the state, but officials are concerned that number may rise as the brunt of the storm moves through the state.
Emergency officials said over 100 people have died in five states as a result of the storms which moved across the south, including 131 in Alabama and 13 in Georgia. Crystal Paulk-Buchanan of GEMA told FOX 5 News that there were at least seven fatalities in the hard-hit area of Ringgold and two fatalities in Dade County.
Brian Robinson with the governor’s office spoke to FOX 5 said two of those fatalities were in Dade County and the other in Floyd County, and there was a possibility the death toll will rise after as search and rescue efforts continue in several areas across the state. The State of Emergency currently covers Chattooga, Floyd, Dade and Walker counties, with more expected to be added to the list.
Robinson said GEMA had been preparing for this storm for days by coordinating with local governments to help coordinate response efforts.
The severe weather started during the morning hours on Wednesday with Floyd County getting the brunt of the first wave. Emergency managers there reported four people injured from the storms. That number would rise during the day as they received a second and third wave. Officials said they surveyed over 150 homes and over a dozen businesses were initially damaged.
Travel through the Rome area was hampered with over 30 road closures. Both Shorter University and Berry College canceled evening classed because they had no power, something that was problem for a number of residents.
GEMA reported hospitals in Floyd County experienced windows blown out, but no one was injured as a result. A few of them had to go onto generator power for hours while power crews rushed to restore power.
Just to the south in Bartow County, emergency workers were busy all day trying to clean up damage caused by the passing storms through the county. They report about 5,600 people were without power as a result of damage in the area. Schools in Bartow County were closed for Thursday.
Dade County was one of the hardest hit in the second wave of storms which moved into Georgia. Emergency managers there said two people were killed and dozens were rushed to area hospitals. They said the bulk of the damage was in the city of Trenton, where FOX 5 crews described many structures as being “flattened” when they first arrived early Wednesday evening. Rescue crews were working into the night searching for people who were still missing hours after the initial storm. Their efforts were continually hampered by several waves of warnings following the initial assault. GEMA reported an elementary school in the area sustained some roof damage, but no one was inside at the time.
Officials in Dade County suspect a tornado hit Trenton, but say that has not been confirmed.
Spalding County reports two fatalities. Officials say the severe storms tore a mobile home from its foundation and tossed it nearly 500 feet. The two victims -- a male and a female -- were found near the mobile home. Several areas in the county were also damaged.
Deputy EMA Director Betty Martin says two people were killed in the Lamar County town of Barnesville when storms passed through early Thursday morning. Four people are also reported missing.
Bartow County emergency officials say they believe a tornado may be to blame for damaging a line of houses between the Adairsville and Snow Springs. Search and rescue operations were underway after they received reports of people possibly trapped in some of those homes. A spokesperson with the GEMA told FOX 5 that rescue teams were dispatched to homes in the Crows Springs area to help people out of their homes which were damaged by wind and falling trees.
The oddest storm damage report came out of Pickens County, where about 100,000 chickens got loose after four chicken houses were destroyed. Officials believe they might have had two or three tornadoes rip through the county. The storms destroyed mobile homes and blocked roads for hours.
Officials in Meriwether County were busy checking a hotel, nursing home, and several neighborhoods including two mobile home parks for serious damage and possible injuries. Schools in Meriweather County were closed for Thursday due to the damage.
A fire station was destroyed along with 10 homes after reports of a tornado touchdown. Crews worked to clear the roadways of trees and other debris left behind.
Authorities in Troup County were working widespread power outages in addition to downed trees and damaged homes.
Polk County officials believe a tornado might have moved through the area damaging up to 25 homes in the Jackson Chapel Road and Mountain Home Road areas. It took crews hours to clear blocked roadways and check damaged areas.
A similar situation in Walker County, where about 65 homes were damaged and 30 were destroyed. Emergency managers reported a tornado was to blame. They opened a shelter for those displaced at the Walker County Agriculture Center.
At least two other counties opened shelters ahead of the storm. Hayes Elementary School in Kennesaw also opened their doors overnight to residents of nearby Castle Lake Mobile Home Park. Paulding County was also asking residents who needed a secure place to ride out the storms to call a hotline, but they were able to close the shelter around 11:30 p.m.
The storm also toppled tractor trailers at the KIA plant in West Point. Worker Jon Hazel says employees have been told to go home for the day so the damage can be assessed and cleaned up.
Georgia Power crews were working well into the evening trying to restore the over 78,000 customers statewide who lost power the height of the storm. A spokesperson told FOX 5 they are working through the night as the weather permits and when conditions are safe. As of 5 a.m., they only had 54,000 customers in the dark, mostly in northwest Georgia.
EMCs of Georgia are reporting about 17,000 customers are without power, mostly in the counties under the State of Emergency declaration.
The FAA reported flight delays across the Southeast as the line of storms moved through Wednesday. Several flights to and from Alabama at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport were canceled following the report of several extremely strong tornadoes hitting the state. Most flights were able to get in or out of the airport before the brunt of the storm passed over the runways. Some airlines will be working to catch up on a handful of canceled flights on Thursday morning.
Please help these families and others who have been in the paths of these storms lately if you are able by praying and/or donating to the American Red Cross or contacting a local city hall to find out how you can help. Thank you.
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