One death attributed to Tuesday's storm

By Shane Blatt and Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tuesday's powerful storm, which spawned a tornado in a Buford neighborhood, is being cited as the cause of  death of a Conyers man.

Matthew Mitchell, 54, was killed when a tree broke in half and fell on his Toyota Previa as he was driving on South Rockbridge Road between North Deshong Road and Marsh Lane in an area of unincorporated Gwinnett County near Stone Mountain.

According to Gwinnett Police, Mitchell was driving southeast on South Rockbridge about 3:24 p.m. when the storm's heavy winds caused a tree on the right side of the road to break and fall on the vehicle.

The National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday that the storm produced at least one tornado, which  tore apart a Buford subdivision Tuesday.

NWS scientist Steven Nelson, who visited the scene in Buford Wednesday morning, categorized the tornado as an E2, with winds of 130 mph. Nelson said the twister traveled about one-quarter mile through the neighborhood.

State Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine told the AJC that his initial damage estimate is $5 million in the Buford area, "but that could go up." He said about 15 to 20 homes were left uninhabitable by the storm.

"A lot of people are going to be displaced," Oxendine said late Wednesday morning after he surveyed the damage from the air and ground. "A lot of these homes are not safe and are going to have to have major work done."

There was one bit of happy news on Wednesday. A couple whose house was destroyed in the storm returned home Wednesday and found their dog alive and well in the rubble.

Reasey and Matthew Lee came back to their home on Bancroft Way in the Kirkstone subdivision in Buford to check on their American Eskimo dog, Kirin.

The Lees were looking at "what was left of the bedroom and heard him whimpering," Matthew Lee said. "A nice gentlemen helped lift the wall, and out he came," apparently unharmed. "A house is a house ..." Lee said; "but Kirin cannot be replaced," Reasey Lee said.

"Blessing I have," she said. "I have my husband, my dog and we're all still here. Everything else can be taken care of."

Officials from the Red Cross arrived in the subdivision early Wednesday, as did representatives from several Home Depot stores, but many of the residents had gone elsewhere for the night.

The commissioner said that his office would be staffed from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. to take calls from affected residents at 404-656-2070.

"If you have questions, call us. If you feel like the insurance company is not treating you fairly, call us," Oxendine said. "We also recommend that, before you pay anyone any money, coordinate with your insurance company and only use local contractors. Be careful of out-of-town contractors."

John Klemenc, store manager at the Home Depot in Alpharetta, said they were “perusing the area to see what we can do.” Representatives from Home Depot stores in Buford and Flowery Branch were also on the scene to determine what items they could donate to residents.

One longtime resident said she was amazed her house didn't suffer any damage.

"I feel like I was spared," said Kimberly Dargan, 39, who has lived in the neighborhood for 10 years. "There’s destruction going up and down that hill. Not even my flower pot was turned over."

Most people were not so fortunate. At one home down the street from Dargan, only the mailbox remained standing Wednesday.

Resident Andrea Malone, 41, said the driver of a school bus that pulled into the neighborhood after the storm hit turned around and went back immediately after seeing the damage. She noted that the subdivision is home to many school-age children. "It's just terrible right before Christmas," she said.

Fifth-grader Matthew Lucie's school bus was headed home to Kirkstone when he saw a piece of wood hit the vehicle.

"It was a huge thump," said the Freeman's Mill Elementary School student. "Everyone stood out of their seats and were like, ‘What happened?'"

As the bus turned into the subdivision, Lucia said he and other students saw scenes of devastation.

"We saw the houses, the roofs, debris everywhere," he said. "Some people started crying. We were scared. We were all in shock."

The bus waited at the scene for 30 minutes before returning to the school, he said.

Matthew, 11, told the AJC Wednesday morning his house was largely spared, "but I feel bad for the people" whose houses sustained more damage.

The devastating winds damaged 56 homes, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their residences and find alternative shelter.

The National Weather Service said Wednesday that an investigator was en route to the scene to determine whether the storm that hit the neighborhood was a tornado. Miraculously, no one was injured.

The severe weather caused damage in several counties, according to the state’s lead emergency management agency.

High winds were felt in Henry and Butts counties south of Atlanta, and rain caused flooding in DeKalb County, said Ken Davis, Georgia Emergency Management Agency spokesman.

In DeKalb, heavy rain flooded the ramp from I-285 to I-85, and left part of Candler Road and an apartment building on Flat Shoals Road submerged, Davis said.

At least three homes were damaged by high wind in southern Henry County. Several buildings in Butts County, including a gas station, sustained minor wind damage from what local officials thought was a tornado, Davis said.

Mike Croker, 54, has lived on his Gravel Springs Road property, near Buford, for his entire life. He was in his home when the sound of roaring wind brought him to his knees and forced him to crawl into his bathroom. He felt his house moving.

"A train," Croker said of the violent sound made by the storm. "Absolutely a train coming through.”

Croker called his wife, who returned from grocery shopping and found a majority of their home gone.

The neighborhood that borders the Croker's property, which is just north of the Mall of Georgia, also sat in the path of the storm. Two-story homes in the neighborhood lost exterior walls, leaving drywall and furniture in the balmy outdoor air. Firefighters and police officers went door to door, checking to make sure everyone was accounted for, Gwinnett fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said.

The fury of the storm coincided with school dismissal time, forcing officials at middle schools in the area to hold students until 5 p.m. Elementary school students on buses were returned to their schools, where parents were called, said Sloan Roach, Gwinnett schools spokeswoman.

As the afternoon turned to night, some residents who had battled traffic jams to get home weren't allowed in their neighborhoods. Electricity was off in the area, and a gas leak forced firefighters to urge residents to go elsewhere. People couldn't immediately determine if there was any damage to their houses.

"The sun going down hides the true extent of the damage," resident Edwin Pelliccia said.

As steady rain fell after 7 p.m., Mike Croker looked through what was left of his home.

"The kitchen's gone; the great room's gone," Croker said. "It looks like to me it's pretty well leveled."

Clean-up efforts will begin Wednesday morning, even with cold temperatures in the forecast.

Residents found some comfort knowing that no one was injured by the storm.

"I'm good," Croker said. "Thank God I'm good."

- Staff writers Mike Morris, Pat Fox, Ty Tagami and photographers John Spink and Phil Skinner contributed to this article.