TORNADOE in GEORGIA ?? WTH !!!
Five tornadoes confirmed in North Georgia
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The National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday that an F2 tornado touched down near Palmetto, GA in south Fulton County and moved into Tyrone in Fayette County during heavy storms Monday night.
Four other tornadoes measuring between F1 and F3, were reported in the following counties: Jones, Johnson/Emanuel, Pike, and Henry. (Read related story).Advertisement
An investigator out of the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City toured the Fayette area Tuesday morning in an attempt to determine the twister's exact wind speeds, which were initially estimated between 150 to 200 mph.
The tour included the affluent River Oaks subdivision in Tyrone, where six homes valued at a million dollars each were ripped apart by the high winds. Five of the damaged homes were occupied and one was under construction.
Homeowner Lawrence Batiste stood in disbelief with his father outside their wrecked home Monday night. Batiste told 11Alive.Com producer Tracey Christensen that when the winds started to rip his house apart, he threw himself over his father to protect him. His father suffered a minor head injury during the fall to the ground.
Neighbor Paul Patel said his family was at work when the storm hit. As he stood in his yard Tuesday morning, Patel tried to understand how his new home could have suffered so much damage in the span of just one minute.
"It's devastating. I cannot believe it can do so much damage. Jeez. It's ridiculous. Brand new house," Patel told 11Alive News. Patel said he bought the home just a year ago.
Just across Highway 74 and the River Oaks subdivision, the twister crossed Kirkley Road, downing power lines and trees that shaded four homes. No injuries were reported there.
The first sign of the twister moving into Fayette came when the high winds damaged a farm home that sits on Highway 74. The home, built in 1857, survived the Civil War but the winds wrecked a building on the property. Owner Karen Campbell said it was only by chance that her daughter who lives in the structure was not there at the time.
"This is very unusual, this isn't what we consider tornado season. I've been doing this for a long time, probably longer than most in the state, and really was not expecting to see a tornado this time of year," said Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John Oxendine.
In Palmetto where the tornado first touched down, Jimmy Tozzo watch his roof peel off of his house from his interior hallway.
"It was peeling and popping. It was just like watching a banana peel," Tozzo said. "In seconds, it was gone."
In Pike County, damage was not as wide-spread, but, according to local officials, those buildings that were hit were damaged severely or destroyed. (Read related story.)
A number of horses lost their lives at horse farms in Pike County.
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Jeff Webb , Webmaster
Last updated: 1/4/2006 10:11:58 AM
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