Addysyn Taylor was getting ready to head home from her Griffin middle school when she sent an alarming text to her mother.
“I think we’re going to die,” read the blunt message from the 12-year-old, according to her father Gerald Taylor. “It kind of freaked her mom out and I was trying to calm her down.”
Major storms were rolling in that Jan. 12 afternoon, eventually causing severe damage to numerous buildings and homes in Spalding County and other parts of North Georgia.
Gerald Taylor, who was at home with his 16-year-old son Dylan, told Addysyn not to worry — even though a tornado touched down about a quarter-mile from his house. Taylor’s other daughter, 14-year-old Alyssa, also was stuck at Carver Road Middle School.
With buses not being able to get through, Taylor and his son tried heading to the school, which was about 10 minutes from their home without traffic. They couldn’t get there, he said. It took them about an hour just to make it to their street corner due to debris in the road, the dad noted.
By the time the most severe weather arrived around 4 p.m., Taylor’s daughters and about 70 other students were still at the school. “They were worried, you know. They were worried,” he said.
Students in the Griffin-Spalding County School System returned to class Friday for the first time since the storms for a half-day of learning, according to the district’s Facebook page. At least 12 tornadoes touched down in Georgia last week, including four in Spalding County, according to the National Weather Service. Cleanup in the state and county continues a week later.
Naja Douglas, the principal at Carver Road, took shelter in the front office with a few parents who she said tried to brave the storm. There were moments when Douglas was nervous for everyone’s safety, but she said staff members were prepared and helped keep students calm.
“Being here with students, I was definitely a little anxious. ... There were times I had to walk away, you know, get myself together,” Douglas said. “As frantic as it was internally at times, we definitely worked together as a staff.”
Addysyn Taylor, who was inside a classroom with no windows when the storms hit the area, said teachers told students not to be afraid, “so we were kind of just talking and having an OK time.”
Fifteen staff members remained in the building monitoring students until about 11 p.m., making sure they all got home safely.
At Rehoboth Road Middle School, Principal Laura Jordan said 221 students and 58 staff members were inside the building when the first tornado hit in the area. The second touched down less than a mile from the school around 4:25 p.m., bringing down countless trees and power lines, she said.
At that point, the power was out and no one was able to get cell service inside the school. Students sheltered until about 6 p.m. in the dark.
During it all, Jordan said it was incredibly calm as she tried to account for all of the students. “In that situation, your only thought is making sure that everybody is safe,” Jordan said.
Around 7 p.m., staff members and police started to get the kids reunited with their families. About 100 other students at Kennedy Road Middle and Cowan Road Middle also needed to get home after the storms had passed, Griffin-Spalding County School System spokesman Adam Pugh said.
With Gerald Taylor and his son unable to make it to the school, he got in touch with Carver Road Assistant Principal Corenza Barnes, who was in the process of taking some of the kids home.
“We were getting in a car with him (and) a police officer and a few of the kids, and he was struggling to take some of us home,” Addysyn Taylor said of Barnes. “We really got to see most of the damage.”
About two hours after trying to get to his family, Gerald Taylor said he was able to meet up with Barnes, who still had about four to five kids in his vehicle. The father reunited with his daughters at a gas station that still had power around 10:45 p.m., he said. Taylor specifically thanked Barnes, who took it upon himself to take care of his students.
“Thank you for taking us home when no one else could,” Addysyn added.
Jordan was able to get the last student from Rehoboth home at about 11 p.m. At that point, 20 students still remained at Cowan Road and four students were at Kennedy Road. Pugh said the final student didn’t make it home until the following morning.
Since then, staff members across the school district have been contacting families to see if anyone was hurt or needs resources. Of the 3,039 families that school staff were able to get in contact with by Thursday morning, Pugh said 30% have been displaced due to the storms. Pugh added that 5% of school staff members have been displaced, but only nine of the 1,400 have not been able to return to work.
At Rehoboth, Jordan said students without water at home will be able to shower on campus, as well as wash clothing and get a meal. At Carver, Friday’s half-day was used to check on students, provide emotional support and donate supplies, school officials said.
“I’ve always lived here, my whole life ... (and) just what has happened in our community as far as support for the people that are affected, it’s been really heartwarming,” Jordan said. “This is a place where people really do love each other.”
Anyone in need of help or resources is advised to call the Spalding County call center at 678-453-4508.
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