World | USA
Two dead as fresh storms spawn tornado in northwest Georgia
Landmark buildings in heart of Atlanta damaged and 30 people taken to hospitals.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:30 March 17, 2008
- Image Credit: AP
- Damaged buildings just east side of downtown Atlanta on Saturday.
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.
Damaged
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 216 km/h, police and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said.
Damage could be up to $150 million (Dh550.5 million), 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 multi-storey 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.
More from USA
More from World
News Editor's choice
-
Allies quit ruling coalition in Nepal
Political row could trigger months of street protests and violence
-
Qatar blaze 'started at nursery'
Fire killed 19 including 13 children, at Doha’s main shopping centre
-
Jagan jailed over illegal assets
Andhra Pradesh leader accused of corruption, cheating, conspiracy
