‘Looked like a bomb went off’: Kemp addresses storms that killed 8 in Georgia

Authorities spent Monday cleaning up and assessing damage after powerful storms ripped through North Georgia overnight, killing at least eight people in the state and leaving thousands in the dark.

The widespread storms produced a confirmed EF-1 tornado in Bartow County and possible tornadoes in several other counties, including Murray, where seven people were killed. The National Weather Service is still working to confirm the other tornado reports and identify storm tracks.

» AROUND NORTH GEORGIA: Complete coverage of overnight storms

» IN ATLANTA: Downed trees, power lines in metro Atlanta, but lives spared

Here’s the latest:

[4 p.m.]: Gov. Brian Kemp said that seven counties experienced possible tornadoes overnight, mentioning Murray, Catoosa, Chattooga, Floyd, Upson, Walker and Wayne. He did not mention Bartow County, which Channel 2 Action News reported had a confirmed EF-1 tornado, or south Fulton County, which had a possible tornado, according to local officials.

Kemp added that 59,000 Georgians remain without power due to the overnight storms, which injured 49 people and destroyed 23 homes.

“It was devastating. It looked like a bomb went off ... I know that we will rebuild together what was lost,” Kemp said.

[3 p.m.]: Officials confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with wind speeds up to 90 mph hit Bartow County early Monday morning, according to Channel 2 Action News.

While damages are still being assessed, Georgia Power crews are working to restore electricity to about 19,300 people. Company spokesman John Kraft said the largest number of outages Monday morning were in Chattooga and DeKalb counties, with about 3,300 to 4,000 apiece.

In addition, about 40,000 EMC customers remained without power Monday afternoon, with nearly half of them in North Georgia.

“Crews will work around the clock to rebuild the power system in many areas where multiple spans of power lines, transformers and poles were destroyed,” Georgia EMC spokeswoman Terri Statham said. “Restoration time will depend on the location of outages and severity of damage.”

She added that linemen are traveling in separate trucks and must stay at least 6 feet apart while working to practice social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

[2 p.m.]: The death toll in Murray County has increased from five to seven, County Coroner Jason Gibson told AJC.com. All of the victims are adults who lived in mobile homes in the northwest Georgia county. Their names have not been released.

Gibson said the storms moved through just before 11 p.m. Sunday. The lifelong Murray resident says he's never seen damage like this.

“We’ve had a few tornadoes but nothing severe,” he said. “Nothing with this many fatalities.”

In addition to the deaths in Murray County, a 34-year-old man was killed in Bartow County when a tree fell onto his home. He was identified by the county corner as William McConnell.

[1:30 p.m.]: A couple in the Belvedere Park neighborhood of DeKalb County are cleaning up after a tree fell on their roof and landed on a guest bedroom.

No one was injured, resident Emma Ceplina said. She and her husband, Jared Shugart, were awakened by the sound of high winds lashing against their townhouse about 2 a.m. Shugart went to check for damage and smelled the scent of rain and soil inside the home, Ceplina said.

Credit: Special to the AJC

Credit: Special to the AJC

She said they are fortunate no one was sleeping in the guest room when the tree came through the roof. The couple spent the rest of the night camped out in the living room.

"It's another hard pill to swallow in a year made up of hard pills," Ceplina said.

Credit: Special to the AJC

Credit: Special to the AJC

[1 p.m.]: No deaths or injuries have been reported in Fulton County after a likely tornado touched down early Monday, according to a county spokesman.

The storm made landfall about 2:40 a.m. and ran along the border of College Park and East Point, National Weather Service forecaster Katie Martin told AJC.com on Monday.

“We always wait to have results form a survey before we say anything with certainty ... but it looked pretty mean on the radar,” Martin said.

Fulton emergency staff got a report of a tree falling on a house on Rippling Brook Trace in Chattahoochee Hills, where one person chose not to be taken to a hospital. Neighboring Hapeville posted on Facebook a photo of trees that had downed power lines on Myrtle Street, but City Manager Tim Young said the power there had come back as of about 12:40 p.m. He said there was also a limb on a power line on Old Jonesboro Road, adding that Georgia Power crews were responding.

[11:55 a.m.]: Gov. Brian Kemp is in Murray County assessing the storm damage that left seven people dead and 23 others injured, according to WSB Radio.

[11:25 a.m.]: Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency after deadly storms hit Georgia overnight. Read the full order here.

[10:30 a.m.]: While some parts of North Georgia are dealing with wind and storm damage, others are flooded.

Dalton Public Works director Andrew Parker said flooding in the city is the worst he’s seen in 10 years on the job. Mill Creek in Dalton reached a level of almost 15 feet, which is 4 feet above flood stage.

The city’s fire department responded to eight calls of motorists stranded in the floodwaters overnight. Authorities are urging residents not to drive across flooded roads and to heed barricades and road closures.

[10 a.m.]: Despite major damage to several homes and roadways along a 12- to 15-mile storm track, no injuries have been reported in Upson County.

Sheriff Dan Kilgore said he surveyed the path of the storm from the air Monday morning. It appears a powerful tornado touched down south of Thomaston and continued east of the city, ripping up trees, damaging barns and even lifting one house from its foundation along Yatesville Highway. The home landed intact about 50 to 100 yards away.

Authorities have accounted for that home’s residents, and it is believed no one was inside at the time, Kilgore said.

“It’s a very long path, and we just pray that no one was injured that we don’t know about,” he said.

RELATED: House lands on Georgia road after storm lifts it off foundation

The strength of the storm is still being determined by the National Weather Service. The sheriff said he spoke with one couple in its path who had to hold onto each other, huddled in a hallway, as strong winds ripped the roof and chimney from their home. The house is likely a total loss, according to Kilgore.

“It’s just amazing what power that storm had,” he said.

Had the storm shifted just 3 miles to the west, it would have ripped through the center of Thomaston. Kilgore said he is grateful the city was largely spared. Power is out all across the area, and cell service is down.

At one point during the night, phone lines were also disabled. The county’s 911 center could receive calls, but no one could get through to ask for help. While landlines have since been restored, Kilgore said he is worried there are residents who need emergency assistance and have been unable to make cellphone calls.

“There are a lot of roadways that are impassable,” he said. “A lot of driveways are blocked by trees, and we can’t get up to the houses to see if people are injured.”

Once the roads are clear, Kilgore said he hopes to have a better idea of the storm’s toll.

[9:15 a.m.]: Five people were killed and nearly two dozen were injured during the storms in one northwest Georgia county.

Murray County fire Chief Dewayne Bain confirmed the deaths to AJC.com. Twenty-three others were taken to local hospitals with varying injuries, he said.

No other information was immediately provided on storm damage in Murray.

[8:30 a.m.]: A house was picked up and dropped in the middle of a road when the storms blew through Upson County overnight, Channel 2 Action News reported.

It landed on Trinity Road east of Thomaston, according to the news station. Authorities have reported several trees down and other damage in the area.

Downed trees have also been reported in several locations in south Fulton County. In East Point, a tree fell on Monique Best’s car at the Lexington Apartments on Kentucky Court. Best drives for Uber and said Monday she does not know what she was going to do for work.

[7:45 a.m.]: Crews have been working since 5 a.m. to clear blocked roads in Putnam County, where damaging winds and a possible tornado were reported overnight.

Trees are down “as far as we can see” on Reids Road north of Eatonton, the Putnam County Public Works department said on Facebook. Drivers are asked to avoid the area as the road is completely blocked.

Godfrey Road is also blocked, according to Putnam County authorities.

It is unknown if anyone was injured by the storms in the Eatonton area. Other communities in Georgia, including Murray and Bartow counties, have reported deaths.

RELATED: Tree falls onto Bartow home, killing man as he slept

Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted his condolences Monday morning.

“This morning, several communities are grappling with serious storm damage, and I ask everyone to lift them up in prayer,” he said on Twitter. “Our hearts go out to the loved ones and friends of those we lost.”

The National Weather Service has not yet confirmed if any of those storms produced tornadoes, although possible tornadoes were reported throughout North Georgia. A storm capable of producing a tornado was spotted in the area of Putnam, Hancock and Greene counties about 3:30 a.m., according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz.

[7:08 a.m.]: Atlanta Journal-Constitution multimedia journalist John Spink filed this photo of a large tree that fell in the 4200 block of Washington Road in south Fulton County.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Those traveling through the areas of East Point, College Park and South Fulton on Monday morning will need to use extra caution on the roads, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.

UPDATE [7 a.m.]: Reports of storm damage are rolling in after a possible tornado touched down in Upson County.

Officials are urging residents to stay inside while authorities work to assess damage. Several trees are down and damage was reported east of Thomaston, according to the Upson Emergency Management Agency. Cell service is also down in the area.

Radar activity indicated a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” was located over parts of Thomaston and Lincoln Park just before 2:30 a.m., according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz.

It is likely the possible tornado produced serious damage, he said.

ORIGINAL STORY: The severe weather threat is over for North Georgia after a system of powerful storms tore through the region early Monday morning.

The storms produced a possible tornado in south Fulton County, according to Channel 2 Action News. The National Weather Service is also working to confirm reports of tornadoes in Chattooga, Putnam and Upson counties.

At least six people were killed in the storms, Channel 2 reported. Five were killed in Murray County in northwest Georgia, and a 34-year-old man was killed in Bartow County when a tree fell on a house, officials told the news station. Two others inside the Cartersville home were injured.

RELATED: Tree falls onto Bartow home, killing man as he slept

Other parts of North Georgia saw heavy rain, damaging wind gusts and lightning for several hours overnight. More than 75,000 Georgia Power customers and an additional 89,000 Georgia EMC customers are beginning Monday morning in the dark.

“Things are looking a lot better for now as the severe weather threat has shifted well to our south and east,” Channel 2 meteorologist Eboni Deon said. “We still do have some active warnings in place, but not for North Georgia.”

Some lingering rain associated with the storm system is moving into Athens but will clear in the next few hours, she said. All of North Georgia will get a chance to dry out Monday as no additional rainfall is in the forecast.

In the past 12 hours, areas in the northwest corner of the state recorded up to 4 inches of rainfall, according to Channel 2. As many as 7 inches fell in parts of Whitfield County, where water rescues were reported.

Deon said flooding could remain an issue for northwest Georgia, and gusty wind will also be a factor for much of the morning. A wind advisory remains in place through 10 a.m.

Deon said things will really start to improve by midday.

“It’s going to end up being a really quiet afternoon, and not as gusty,” she said. “We'll still have a little bit of a breeze coming in, but definitely those winds are going to be easing.”

A few clouds could mix in with the sunshine, but she said overall metro Atlanta will be in great shape for Monday afternoon and evening. Projected afternoon highs in the low 70s are right on target for this time of year.

Areas south of the city will be warmer Monday ahead of a secondary front, Deon said. Once it moves through, she expects to see temperatures drop back into the 60s.

The next chance of rain does not arrive until Wednesday, and there is no severe weather risk, according to Channel 2. That’s good news for those communities with extensive cleanup after Monday’s storms.

In south Fulton County, a likely tornado kicked up debris and knocked out power along South Fulton Parkway and Stonewall Tell Road, according to Channel 2. The National Weather Service has not yet recorded the extent of the damage or confirmed if a tornado touched down.

Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said that radar activity indicated a tornado moved through the area about 2:30 a.m.

“We saw all of the debris — that’s trees, leaves, branches — lofted into the sky,” he said. “The radar is capable of picking that up.”

Those traveling through the areas of East Point, College Park and South Fulton on Monday morning will need to use extra caution on the roads, he said. There are reports of downed trees in the area.

“There will be debris,” Monahan said. “Leave the high beams on and leave lots of stopping distance for you as you head out on some of these darker roads.

While drivers will want to take it slow on surface streets, the metro Atlanta interstate system does not appear to be impacted by Monday's storms, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

“The good news is the interstates have been well-behaved,” traffic reporter Mark Arum said.

Conditions remain lighter than normal Monday morning with fewer commuters on the roads amid Georgia’s shelter-in-place order.

— Staff writers Alexis Stevens, Ben Brasch, Kristal Dixon and Nedra Rhone contributed to this article.

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