Possible tornado injures 7 on Georgia coast

At least seven people were injured and properties were damaged after a possible tornado hit the Georgia coast early Thursday, officials said.

The storms, which hit between 3 and 5 a.m., caused power outages, knocked down trees and power lines and damaged homes on Old River Road South in Bulloch County The area is northwest of Savannah and about 220 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.

“At approximately 4 a.m., a possible tornado touched down in the area of Lillie Hagan Road and Old River Road South,” county emergency management and public safety officials said in a Facebook post.

One person was flown to a hospital in Savannah with serious injuries, and six others were driven to East Georgia Regional Medical Center in Statesboro, according to the Facebook post.

Bulloch County Schools said in a statement bus service will not be available Thursday for the Old River Road and Lillie Hagan Road areas "due to road blockages."

The National Weather Service had issued tornado warnings for Chatham and Effingham counties through about 4:15 a.m. Thursday.

In Effingham, storms destroyed a pump house, damaged homes and sent trees and power lines down in the Pineora community, according to WTOC-TV in Savannah.

Only 80 power outages affecting more than 870 Georgia Power customers remained by 9:45 a.m.

The recent storm damage comes less than three weeks after an EF-3 tornado hit Albany and other parts of South Georgia, caused more than $100 million in damage and killed 16 people.