Tornadoes and Flood in Georgia, March 1 to 2, 2007

The Gwinnett Daily Post of Lawrenceville reported that lightning struck a home on Rivermist Drive causing smoke and fire damage to the roof and attic as well as heavy damage to the second floor. Two adults living in the home escaped without injury.

The Cherokee County Emergency Management Director reported penny-sized hail.

The public reported that half-dollar-sized hail fell for up to five minutes in the far northwest part of the county.

The Stewart County Emergency Management Director reported that several trees were down along Trotman Road southeast of Lumpkin.

The Hancock County Emergency Management Director reported that repeated heavy rain fell across much of the county from mid morning until shortly after midnight. Rainfall of six to eight inches fell across much of the county. Georgia Highway 22 and 16 were both closed. In addition, several wooden bridges were washed out. Disaster funding was provided for road and bridge repair from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the county. Estimated repair costs were in the $300,000 to $400,000 range.

The Webster County 911 Center reported that a number of trees were down along and near U.S. 280 in the northwest part of the county.

A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia concluded that an EF1 tornado touched down just southwest of Richland in northeast Stewart county, traveled across the downtown area of Richland and lifted approximately one mile northeast of Richland. The tornado traveled a path of approximately 1.5 miles with a maximum path width of 250 yards. Around 50 homes and businesses sustained damage in the city of Richland. One commercial building at the intersection of Broad and Harris streets was destroyed when the exterior brick wall collapsed. The Harmony Baptist Church on Harmony and Ponder Streets, built in 1838, was also destroyed. Only two walls were left standing. A tractor-trailer at the intersection of U.S. Highway 280 and Georgia Highway 520 was lifted and dropped by the tornado causing the trailer to collapse and split in the center. In addition, a number of trees and power lines were down throughout the Richland area.

The Chattahoochee County Emergency Management Director reported that 10 to 15 trees were down scattered about the county, but primarily across the east and southeast part of the county between Cusseta and Renfroe.

The Taylor County 911 Center reported that a number of trees were down just south of Rupert near the intersection of U.S. Highway 19 and Georgia Highway 90. A home was damaged on Crossroad School Road northeast of Rupert. One individual was trapped in this home, but not injured.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF2 tornado had tracked across a 7-mile stretch of eastern Taylor county from about three miles southwest of Potterville to about two miles east of Reynolds. The tornado traveled a path of between seven and eight miles with a maximum path width of 448 yards or roughly 1/3 of a mile wide. The heaviest damage was southwest of Potterville, where two mobile homes were destroyed and others were damaged. One of the mobile homes was rolled. One death and four injuries were reported in the area of the damaged and destroyed mobile homes. Numerous trees and power lines were down throughout the area. Several were down on Bear Road in Potterville. Damage to trees and roofs of several homes continued through and east of Reynolds, although the damage in this area was not as severe.

A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF3 tornado touched down approximately four miles east of Knoxville and continued east-northeast into Bibb county ending just southeast of Lizella. The tornado exited Crawford county about 5.5 miles east of Sandy Point or about 9 miles east-northeast of Knoxville. The tornado traveled over six miles in Crawford county, but the path length of the entire track was approximately 8.5 miles long with a maximum path width of one-quarter mile. Significant damage was noted along the path of the tornado, especially along Sandy Point Road in northeast Crawford county. Here, several homes and outbuildings were heavily damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees were either snapped or uprooted. Nine injuries were reported in the area of the damaged homes.

The Peach County Emergency Management Director reported that a couple of trees were down in the Fort Valley area. The trees were blocking roads.

A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF3 tornado which originally touched down approximately four miles east of Knoxville in Crawford county, continued east-northeast into Bibb county lifting just southeast of Lizella. The tornado entered Bibb county three miles south-southeast of Lizella and lifted about one mile east-southeast of Lizella. The path length within Bibb county was about three miles long with a maximum path width of one-quarter mile wide. Damage within Bibb county was primarily confined to trees and power lines. However, one home did sustain damage on Lower Thomaston Road. Several trees were down east of Lizella near U.S. Highway 80.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF1 tornado tracked across southeast Crawford county. The tornado touched down 4.5 miles south-southeast of Horns and continued on an east-northeastward track, terminating just north of the community of Friendship near the Bibb county line, or almost 11 miles east of Knoxville. Intermittent damage was found along the nearly 12-mile long path of the tornado. The maximum path width was 100 yards wide. Numerous trees were down and several outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. Several homes suffered minor structural damage.

A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that a second tornado tracked across northwest and north Bibb county. This tornado was only an EF0 tornado and damage was minor. The tornado touched down about 6.5 miles west of Payne and lifted near the intersection of Zubulon Road and Interstate-475 on the northwest side of Macon near the Wildwood subdivision. The tornado path length was between two and three miles long with a maximum path width of 100 yards. Damage was light and confined mainly to minor roof damage in the Wildwood subdivision. Several business signs and traffic signals were either damaged or torn down in the area. A gas station building was damaged near the intersection of Zebulon Road and Interstate-475. Several trees and some power lines were down along the path of the tornado.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia concluded that an EF1 tornado touched down approximately three miles northwest of Griswoldville in southwest Jones county and tracked very close to Georgia Highway 49 lifting about two miles southwest of James. The tornado path was around four miles long with a maximum path width of 150 yards. Extensive damage was noted to commercial and residential buildings along the path of the tornado. Dozens of trees were down in the area, many falling on and causing damage to homes. A number of large hardwood and pine trees were either uprooted or snapped. Three metal warehouses sustained significant damage. In addition, nearly a dozen homes sustained minor roof damage along the path of the tornado. One small home suffered major damage to its exterior walls. Finally, a railroad crossing arm and support pole were knocked over.

A survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City and the National Weather Service in Calera, Alabama, concluded that an EF2 tornado, that originated in Russell county, Alabama, tracked across northwest and north central Muscogee county. The tornado first touched down in extreme northeast Russell county, Alabama about three miles from the Georgia border, then crossed into extreme southeast Lee county, Alabama, and then entered Georgia as it moved across the north end of Lake Oliver, about 1.5 miles west-southwest of Green Island Hills. The tornado continued to travel east-northeast across north Muscogee county, including the north suburbs of Columbus (Green Island Hills, Brookstone, Autumn Ridge, Hamilton Station, and Old Moon Road), before finally lifting three miles west of Midland in north central Muscogee county. The overall tornado path length was approximately 12 miles, with about nine miles of the tornado path within Georgia. The maximum path width was 300 yards. The heaviest damage occurred in the 6200 block of Brookstone Boulevard just north of U.S. Highway 80 in the northwest part of Columbus. Several homes in this area suffered heavy damage and at least one injury was confirmed. In addition, several commercial buildings on Veterans Parkway sustained substantial structural damage. Windows were blown out, large air conditioning units were tossed about, large metal business signs were blown down, and power poles were twisted and blown down. The Hawthorn Suites on North Lake Parkway was destroyed from roof and water damage. Nearby, the Ramada Inn under construction also suffered considerable damage while a nearby Holiday Inn Express sustained minor damage. In addition, several churches, including Wynnbrook Baptist, Saint Mark's United Methodist, and Old Moon Road Churches were heavily damaged. Hundreds of trees were down in the area, a number of which fell on parked cars. Many power lines were down and thousands were left without power, some for over a day.

The Harris County 911 Center reported that a couple of trees were down southwest of Ellerslie. One of the trees knocked down a power line near Gray Rock Road.

A tornado survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that a brief tornado, lasting less than one minute, touched down in a wooded area just north of Georgia Highway 49. The tornado path length was only 100 yards long with a path width of 50 yards. Approximately two dozen trees were blown down. No structural damage was observed with this tornado. This tornado was spawned by the same storm that caused the tornado 10 to 15 minutes earlier in southwest Jones county which caused extensive damage from northwest of Griswoldville to southwest of James.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF1 tornado touched down in western Talbot county just across the Harris county line just northeast of Baughville and traveled east-northeast lifting about four miles northwest of Talbotton in the vicinity of Powell-Church Road. The overall tornado path length was a little over four miles with a maximum path width of 100 yards. Much of the damage occurred between Georgia Highways 315 and 208 between Baughville, Olive Branch, and areas northwest of Talbotton. On the western end of the track, closer to Baughville and Olive Branch, one mobile home and four outbuildings were destroyed. In addition, several homes sustained minor roof damage. Near the end of the tornado path on Powell-Church Road, a wraparound porch was destroyed on a home. A feedstore and adjacent barn were also damaged and an outbuilding was destroyed. Numerous trees were down along the path of the tornado.

The Baldwin County 911 Center reported that a number of trees and power lines were down in the area.

The Talbot County 911 Center reported that numerous trees and power lines were down along U.S. Highway 80 in the Pobiddy Crossroads area.

The Houston County 911 Center reported that about six trees were blown down in the southern portion of the county between Henderson and Elko.

The Hancock County Emergency Management Director reported that numerous trees and power lines were down along or near Georgia Highways 22 and 16 from Devereux, to Sparta, to Culverton, to Mayfield. Fifteen homes were damaged from downed trees.

The Upson County 911 Center reported that numerous trees were down in the Yatesville area.

The Forsyth County 911 Center reported that many trees and power lines were down. About 100 homes in the area were left without power.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF2 tornado tracked across eastern Warren county, touching down about four miles east-northeast of Warrenton, and continued into McDuffie county, terminating about 6 miles northeast of Thomson near Interstate-20. The overall tornado path length was 15 miles, but only about 2.5 miles of the path occurred within Warren county. The maximum path width was 448 yards or about one-quarter nautical mile. The tornado tracked very close to U.S. Highway 278 or Georgia Highway 12, the main highway between Warrenton and Thomson. The most significant damage occurred to the Briarwood Academy on U.S. Highway 278. In addition, a number of homes, mostly double-wide mobile homes, sustained significant damage between Warrenton and the McDuffie county line, especially on the northeast side of Warrenton. Most of the damage was in the Camak Road and Thomson Highway area. One double-wide mobile home was completely destroyed with only the base slab left standing. There were eight homes with major damage, 13 with moderate damage, and 17 with minor damage. Three individuals sustained minor injuries from flying glass and debris. Dozens of trees and power lines were down along the path of the tornado.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that a strong, violent, and long-lived EF3 tornado tracked across southeast Webster, much of Sumter, and far southern Macon counties. The tornado touched down near Chambliss on the Webster/Terrell county line and tracked east-northeast exiting the county into Sumter county near Bottsford. While the overall path length of the tornado was around 40 miles, the path length within Webster county was between seven and eight miles. While the tornado reached its maximum path width of 1.0 mile in Sumter county near Americus, it was determined to be less than this within Webster county. A path of significant damage was noted across southeast Webster county. A concrete block house and two machine shops on East Centerpoint Road just northeast of Chambliss were completely destroyed. Three injuries resulted from the damage here. Twenty-five feet of asphalt in front of the home was also ripped up by the tornado. On a nearby farm, five cows were killed when they were tossed about by the tornado. A tractor-trailer traveling on Georgia Highway 520 near Chambliss was overturned causing it to catch on fire and burn. Very nearby, at the intersection of Georgia Highway 520 and TV Tower Road, a 1096 foot Georgia Public Television transmission tower was destroyed when two-thirds of the tower was twisted off by the tornado and destroyed. Only 150 feet of the 1096 foot tower was left standing after the tornado passed. Numerous trees and power lines were also down in the area.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia concluded that the EF3 tornado that first touched down in southeast Webster county continued to track northeast from the southwest to the northeast corner of Sumter county and then continued into extreme southern Macon county before finally lifting. The tornado tracked a total distance on the ground of approximately 40 miles. The tornado entered Sumter county about 4.75 miles southwest of Plains in southwest Sumter county and exited the northeast part of the county about 9 miles north of Methvins in northeast Sumter county. This was by far the most violent and devastating tornado of the March 1st outbreak. The tornado tracked roughly 32 miles across Sumter county with a maximum path width of 1.0 mile wide, which occurred in the Americus area. Damage within the city of Americus was extensive, although structures, trees, and power lines were down along the entire path of the tornado. The most significant damage in Americus was to the Sumter Regional Hospital, of which a significant portion was destroyed. Hundreds of homes and businesses in the Americus area were either totally destroyed or sustained significant damage. Hunderds of vehicles were also damaged or destroyed by debris and/or tossed about like matchsticks. The majority of the damage was within the vicinity of the Sumter Regional Hospital. Two deaths were reported at a home in Americus when a wall collapsed on a 43 year-old male and a 53-year old female. At least eight injuries were documented, but there may have been more.

Within the city of Americus, proper, there were 1235 total structures damaged or destroyed, including 217 businesses, 993 residences, 3 cemeteries, 10 churches, 1 fire station, 1 hospital, 8 recreational facilities/parks, and 2 schools. There were 75 structures (42 businesses, 31 residences, 1 hospital, 1 church) were destroyed. There were 148 structures (27 businesses, 116 residences, 3 recreational facilities/parks, 2 churches) with major damage. There were 331 structures (60 businesses, 260 residences, 3 recreational facilities/parks, 5 churches, 1 school, 2 cemeteries) with moderate damage and 681 structures (88 businesses, 586 residences, 2 recreational facilities/parks, 2 churches, 1 school, 1 cemetery, 1 fire station) with minor damage.

The Schley County Emergency Management Director reported that between 5 and 15 trees were down the far southeast part of the county near the Sumter county line.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City confirmed that the EF3 tornado, that originated in Webster county near Chambliss and tracked across Sumter county from south of Plains, through Americus, to north of Methvins, continued briefly into extreme southern Macon county before lifting south of Oglethorpe just west of the Flint River in a very rural, swamp like area of the county. The tornado path length within Macon county was approximately three miles. Damage within Macon county was confined to trees and a few power lines.

The Twiggs County Emergency Management Director reported that a number of trees, at least 10, were down in the southern part of the county, especially along and near Georgia Highway 96 from Tarversville to Danville.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City concluded that an EF0 tornado touched down in extreme northern Bleckley county about two miles north-northeast of Cary, very near the Twiggs county line, and tracked east-northeast just south of the Twiggs county line to about 0.5 mile west of Brown Hill. The overall path length of the tornado was 1.0 mile with a maximum path width of 1/4 mile. The tornado touched down on Emergency Road 266 where several outbuildings and a number of trees were blown down. Three homes sustained moderate roof damage and a couple of homes had their patio covers destroyed. The back porch of a business along Interstate-16 in extreme northeast Bleckley was also destroyed.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia concluded that an EF2 tornado had touched down in southwest Wilkinson county about 4.5 miles west-southwest of Nicklesville and tracked over 13 miles to a point nine miles northeast of Nicklesville. The maximum path width was 1/2 mile. The tornado traveled through a mostly rural area. Damage was confined mainly to trees and power lines. Most of the damage was focused along Georgia Highway 112. One home sustained minor to moderate damage.

The Laurens County 911 Center reported that a number of trees and a power line were down near the intersection of Georgia Highway 338 and U.S. Highway 441 northwest of Dublin.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF1 tornado had touched down approximately two miles north-northeast of Oakland in far northern Marion county and tracked northeast to a point about five miles northeast of Oakland in far northeast Marion county. The path length of the tornado was about 2.5 miles long with a maximum path width of 100 yards. The tornado roughly paralleled Fort Perry Road. Numerous trees were snapped off and a few were uprooted. One barn was destroyed and another had metal sheeting stripped off its roof. A mobile home was shifted off its foundation and one home lost a porch roof. Several fences were damaged by the wind or downed trees.

The Putnam County Emergency Management Director reported that 10 trees were down in the eastern part of the county, near Georgia Highway 16. One of the downed trees washed into and clogged a storm drain causing minor flooding of one roadway. Between two and four inches of rain fell across much of the eastern half of the county.

The Johnson County Emergency Management Director reported that a number of trees were down in the far western part of the county along Georgia Highway 57.

The Peach County Emergency Management Director reported that two homes were damaged when a large tree fell on each house. One of the homes was on Will Lake Road and the other on Mills Road.