Powerful storm, tornadoes leave 2 dead in Georgia

Four confirmed tornadoes ripped through Georgia Thursday night and Friday morning, part of a storm system that left widespread structural damage, power outages and two deaths in their wake.

“The damage is literally statewide,” Gov. Brian Kemp told reporters Friday, Jan. 13, at the state Capitol shortly before he, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, and Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns left on a helicopter tour of damaged areas.

The first tornado report came in mid-afternoon Thursday, Jan. 12, in the Lagrange area, said James Stallings, director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. But Spalding County suffered the worst damage when a tornado cut a path up to five miles wide, Stallings said.

Jones’ hometown of Jackson in Butts County also suffered heavy damage. A 5-year-old died there when a tree fell on a car in which he was riding. A state emergency response worker also was killed by falling debris.

The storm and its aftermath also caused multiple injuries, including to a parent of the child who was killed, Stallings said.

Stallings said the damage wasn’t limited to areas in the direct path of the tornadoes. High straight-line winds downed trees and damaged homes in many other communities across the state, he said.

Work crews from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the state Forestry Commission are working with chainsaws to clear debris from blocked roads.

Until the roads are clear, restoring power to affected areas will be slow work, Kemp said.

The governor urged Georgians affected by the storms to remain patient.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” he said.

Kemp said it’s too early to assess the cost of the damage. He said Georgia will seek federal assistance if the cost is high enough to qualify.