Tornado Damage Statement

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
222 PM EDT SAT APR 11 2009

...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONFIRMS EF-3 TORNADO DAMAGE NEAR
NEW ELLENTON SOUTH CAROLINA...

A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ASSESSMENT TEAM SURVEYED DAMAGE THAT
OCCURRED LATE FRIDAY NIGHT IN RICHMOND AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES IN
GEORGIA AND SOUTHERN AIKEN COUNTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA. THE DAMAGE
WAS DETERMINED TO BE CAUSED BY A TORNADO THAT TRACKED 35 MILES
FROM GROVETOWN GEORGIA TO JUST EAST OF ELLENTON SOUTH CAROLINA.

TORNADO DAMAGE WAS CONFIRMED IN GROVETOWN AS SEVERAL FRAME HOMES,
MOBILE HOMES AND BUSINESSES SUSTAINED DAMAGE. THE TORNADO PATH
WAS 200 YARDS WIDE. THE DAMAGE WAS RATED AN EF-1 WITH WIND SPEED
AROUND 105 MPH.

EF-2 DAMAGE WAS CONFIRMED IN AUGUSTA, GEORGIA IN THE AREA FROM
BARTON CHAPEL ROAD TO BUNGALOW ROAD. EF-2 WIND SPEEDS RANGE FROM
111 TO 135 MPH.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO TRACK EAST INTO SOUTH CAROLINA ALONG HWY
278. NUMEROUS TREES WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED AND SIGNIFICANT
DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG THE TORNADO PATH. DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES,
FRAME HOMES AND BUSINESSES ALSO OCCURRED IN BEECH ISLAND AND NEW
ELLENTON WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF
HWY 302 AND HWY 278. THE TORNADO PATH FROM BEECH ISLAND TO NEW
ELLENTON WAS A HALF MILE WIDE. THE DAMAGE IN THIS VICINITY WAS
RATED AN EF-3 IN INTENSITY WITH WIND SPEEDS BETWEEN 136 AND 165 MPH.

ONE FATALITY HAS BEEN REPORTED IN BEECH ISLAND AS A RESULT OF THIS
STORM. MULTIPLE INJURIES HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTED.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/CAE

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