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Tornado kills 2
16/03/2008 14:12 - (SA)
Atlanta - A tornado in northwest
Georgia killed two people and left others seriously injured on
Saturday, one day after a twister battered Atlanta's downtown,
officials said.
One person died in Polk county and a second died in Floyd
county, said Buzz Weiss of the Georgia Emergency Management
Agency. Both counties are on Georgia's border with Alabama.
The National Weather Service issued a string of tornado
warnings moving east across north Georgia throughout the day.
It said there was a risk of "isolated tornadoes" across central
Georgia and South Carolina, where local media said storms left
thousands without power.
Workers were clearing debris in the heart of Atlanta
following Friday night's storm, which damaged landmark
buildings, overturned cars and injured dozens of people.
"It was a very significant, very serious storm. There's
lots of damage," said Weiss.
Some 30 people were taken to hospitals and one was in
serious condition after the storm, which packed winds of 216km/h, police and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said.
Damage could be up to $150m, according to an initial
estimate by John Oxendine, state insurance commissioner, who
was quoted in local media.
Franklin declared a state of emergency in the city after
the storm, which local media said was the first recorded
tornado in Atlanta's history.
It powered through as tens of thousands of basketball fans
packed area stadiums to watch big games.
Police evacuated the Omni Hotel, which shares a
building with the CNN Centre, after high winds shattered
windows and spilled debris onto the street.
Winds also broke windows and caused damage at CNN Centre,
the television network's headquarters, CNN said.
The storm struck the most prominent section of downtown
Atlanta, which houses attractions including CNN, the Georgia
Dome, the Georgia World Congress Centre, the Georgia Aquarium
and the new World of Coca-Cola.
Like a freight train
Those buildings are clustered around Centennial Olympic
Park, built for the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Officials temporarily halted the game between Mississippi
State and the University of Alabama at the Georgia Dome after
high winds damaged the roof and caused a large monitor hanging
above the court to sway ominously.
Thousands of people were attending a National Basketball
Association game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the
Atlanta Hawks at the Philips Arena, adjacent to the CNN Centre
complex. But the game was not suspended.
Tornadoes are common in parts of the US South, often
leaving a trail of death and devastation. But they usually
strike rural areas.
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