Series of Real-Time Reports on a Tornado Disaster in Five Counties in Georgia - 03/20/98 to 03/20/98
EmergencyNet News *FLASH* Report
03/20/98 - 10:05CST
Tornado Tears Through Area North of Gainesville, 6 Dead
by C. L. Staten
Gainesville, GA (EmergencyNet News) -- What is being called a tornado by residents tore
through and destroyed a mobile home park, uprooted trees, and damaged a swath 1/2 mile
wide by 10 miles long this morning. According to a spokesperson from the Hall County
Sheriff's department, at least five people have been killed and more than 75 others
injured.
Eyewitnesses said that the storm ripped through an area north of Gainesville this morning
shortly after 06:30EST, leaving
smashed homes, businesses and causing several traffic accidents. Reportedly, a sheriff's
deputy was also killed as she worked at a traffic accident scene in the area; That report
has not been confirmed by Emergencynet News.
A spokesperson for the National Weather Service said that they couldn't confirm that the
storm was actually a tornado, but that they were reviewing radar data and other associated
materials to establish the cause and type of storm. Eyewitnesses did say that the damage
on the ground was consistent with a tornado.
According to EmergencyNet News analyst and correspondent, Don Hiett, rescue efforts are
underway at this hour and
emergency service agencies are searching collapsed structures and other debris for
additional survivors. Hiett, based in the Atlanta area, will provide us with additional
details as they become available. Georgia Governor Zell Miller and other
emergency management officials are reportedly enroute to the scene and a state of
emergency has been established in the
following counties: Dawson, Hall, Habersham, Rabun, and White..
(C) EmergencyNet News Service, 1998. All rights reserved.
Georgia Emergency Management Agency News Release
For Immediate Release March 20, 1998
contact: Buzz Weiss, 404-635-7026 or 1-800-TRY-GEMA
STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA COUNTIES
In Wake of Friday Tornadoes:
ATLANTA -- Governor Zell Miller has declared a State of Emergency for five northeast
Georgia counties in the wake
tornadoes which tore through the area early Friday morning. The counties are: Hall, White,
Habersham, Dawson, and Rabun.
The State of Emergency authorizes the use of state equipment and personnel to assist local
governments with emergency
response and recovery efforts. Governor Miller issued the order after touring the area by
helicopter.
The tornadoes struck shortly before 7:00 a.m., doing extensive damage to homes and public
facilities including schools and libraries. As of late mid-morning, seven fatalities and
over 50 injuries had been confirmed.
"This area has been devastated and we are already working to provide whatever
resources are necessary for recovery," said Georgia Emergency Management Agency
(GEMA) Director Gary W. McConnell.
From the ERRI Watch Center
GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA (EmergencyNet News) - Tornadoes cut a destructive path across the Southeast on the first day of spring on Friday. At least 13 people were killed and 100 others were injured.
At least 12 people were killed and 80 were injured in Georgia. Two people were killed and 22 injured in North Carolina by a twister that then swept into Virginia. The Georgia tornado tore through a ten-mile stretch in the rural northeast part of the state about 50 miles north of Atlanta. Dozens of homes, schools and poultry farms were either destroyed or damaged.
According to meteorologists, the tornado did not appear on radar. There was no warning given to the victims. The victims included five people killed in mobile homes. In Clermont, located 13 miles north of Gainesville, a 10-month-old boy was found dead under debris in a woods adjacent to a mobile home.
In addition to those who died in the storm, a sheriff's deputy was hit by a car and killed when she stopped at a weather-related accident in Hall County. In the same county, an elementary school was severely damaged. Had the twister hit 45 minutes later, there would have been about 600 children at the school.
Georgia Governor Zell Miller declared a state of emergency in five counties and called up 100 National Guard personnel to search for missing people and to help prevent looting.
In North Carolina, police said the downtown of the town of Stoneville took a direct hit from a tornado. Two people were killed. The twister ran from Stoneville, in north-central North Carolina, across the state line to Virginia, where it damaged or destroyed 11 more homes.
A special thanks to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) for their assistance in providing timely public information and news releases. They were most helpful in our coverage of this disaster.
(c) Copyright, EmergencyNet NEWS Service, 1997, except as otherwise indicated. All Rights Reserved. Redistribution without permission is prohibited by law.
The ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT is a subscription publication of the EmergencyNet NEWS Service, which is a part of the Chicago-based Emergency Response and Research Institute. This publication specializes in Law Enforcement/Fire/EMS/Disaster and Medical Issues.
Emergency Response and Research Institute
6348 N Milwaukee Ave, Suite 312, Chicago, Illinois 60646 USA
773-631-ERRI Voice/Voice Mail
773-631-4703 Fax
773-631-3467 Computer/Modem - EMERGENCY BBS
Internet e-mail: webmaster@emergency.com
WWW page: http://www.emergency.com
Telnet: emergency.com