PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 600 PM EDT MON OCT 4 2005 ...UPDATED TORNADO DAMAGE REPORTS FROM THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA MONDAY AUGUST 29TH... ...TORNADO COUNT IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL GEORGIA NOW AT 16... AS HURRICANE KATRINA PUSHED ASHORE LATE MONDAY BANDS OF THUNDERSTORMS SPIRALED INTO PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. A FEW OF THE STRONGER STORMS SPAWNED TORNADOES...RESULTING IN CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE. ADDITIONAL DAMAGE SURVEYS AND FOLLOWUP WITH COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGERS IN AFFECTED COUNTIES HAS RESULTED IN A REVISED TALLY OF THE NUMBER OF TORNADOES THAT OCCURRED IN ASSOCIATION WITH KATRINA. AS A RESULT...THE TORNADO COUNT AND DAMAGE AMOUNT HAS BEEN REVISED UPWARD. THE FOLLOWING REPORTS ARE ASSESSMENTS OF THE DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS. THE FIRST TORNADO OCCURRED AROUND 425 PM EDT IN EXTREME NORTHERN HEARD COUNTY...TOUCHING DOWN 1/4 MILE SOUTH OF THE COMMUNITY OF GLENLOCH AND TRAVELING NORTH TO AND ACROSS THE CARROLL COUNTY LINE TO A POINT THREE MILES NORTHEAST OF ROOPVILLE. IN HEARD COUNTY...SEVERAL HOMES WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED...WITH THREE INJURIES OCCURRING AT ONE OF THE DAMAGED HOMES. FOUR LARGE POULTRY BARNS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED...KILLING OVER 140,000 CHICKS. IN CARROLL COUNTY...AT LEAST FOUR ADDITIONAL LARGE POULTRY BARNS WERE DESTROYED TWO MILES EAST OF ROOPVILLE. ONE FATALITY OCCURRED IN THIS LOCATION. AS THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTH IT DESTROYED A BARN AND TWO MOBILE HOMES. THE TORNADO FINALLY ENDED ABOUT THREE MILES NORTHEAST OF ROOPVILLE. ADDITIONAL MINOR DAMAGE WAS REPORTED FROM THIS SAME STORM CELL AS IT MOVED ACROSS WESTERN CARROLLTON AND FOUR MILES NORTHWEST OF CARROLLTON. ALTHOUGH THE PATH OF DAMAGE EXTENDED APPROXIMATELY 9.5 MILES...THE TORNADO WAS RATED AN F2 ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE RATING SCALE... WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 5.5 MILES WITH A PATH WIDTH UP TO 200 YARDS. A SECOND TORNADO WAS CONFIRMED IN HARALSON COUNTY...WITH DAMAGE STARTING ONE MILE SOUTHEAST OF THE COMMUNITY OF FELTON. THERE WERE NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND A BARN DESTROYED. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED F0...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 1 MILE AND A PATH WIDTH OF ABOUT 75 YARDS. THE THIRD TORNADO OCCURRED IN FAR SOUTHWEST PAULDING COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF NEW GEORGIA. DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO MAINLY A SOUTH-NORTH PATH WITHIN THE NEW GEORGIA AREA. ROOF AND SHINGLE DAMAGE OCCURRED TO AN ESTIMATED 45 HOMES. NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWN...SOME ON HOMES AND VEHICLES. SOME FENCES WERE FLATTENED AND 3-4 OUTBUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 1 MILE AND A PATH WIDTH OF 25-50 YARDS. A FOURTH TORNADO OCCURRED IN POLK COUNTY...WITH DAMAGE STARTING TWO MILES EAST OF CEDARTOWN AND ENDING ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF CEDARTOWN. DAMAGE INCLUDED A GAS STATION PORTICO...THE FLATTENING OF BRICK STORAGE UNITS...AND A LARGE HIGHWAY SIGN BLOWN DOWN. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED F1...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 2.8 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF ABOUT 50 YARDS. THE FIFTH TORNADO WAS REPORTED IN WESTERN OCONEE COUNTY...JUST SOUTHWEST OF THE TOWN OF EASTVILLE. DAMAGE WAS REPORTED TO ONE HOME AND NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWN JUST WEST OF LANE CREEK ROAD ON RIDGEWAY ROAD JUST SOUTH OF GEORGIA HIGHWAY 53. THE HOME HAD A PORTION OF ITS ROOF BLOWN OFF AND DECK RAILINGS REMOVED...ALONG WITH NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN THE YARD. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 0.1 MILE AND A PATH WIDTH OF ABOUT 25 YARDS. THE SIXTH TORNADO WAS CONFIRMED IN EXTREME NORTHEAST TAYLOR COUNTY NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF PICKLING MILL. THE TORNADO DAMAGE STARTED APPROXIMATELY 0.5 MILE SOUTH OF PICKLING MILL AND CONTINUED THROUGH PICKLING MILL ACROSS GEORGIA HIGHWAY 137 NORTH TO THE FLINT RIVER AT THE UPSON COUNTY LINE. TWO SITE BUILT HOMES AND ONE MOBILE HOME WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND EIGHT OTHER HOMES IN THE AREA SUSTAINED MINOR ROOF DAMAGE. HUNDREDS OF LARGE TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN...BROKEN OFF...OR UPROOTED IN THE AREA...INCLUDING DOZENS OF LARGE 100-YEAR OLD PECAN TREES IN AN ORCHARD JUST NORTH OF PICKLING MILL. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F1...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 4 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF 200-300 YARDS. THE SEVENTH TORNADO STRUCK FORSYTH COUNTY KNOCKING DOWN TREES ALONG A PATH ABOUT A HALF MILE IN LENGTH...AND PRODUCING ABOUT 10 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DAMAGE. THE PATH WIDTH WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 50 YARDS. THIS WAS DETERMINED TO BE AN F0 TORNADO. THE EIGHTH TORNADO OCCURRED IN EXTREME WESTERN LUMPKIN COUNTY NEAR THE DAWSON COUNTY LINE...JUST NORTH OF GEORGIA HIGHWAY 9...ABOUT TWO MILES NORTH OF BURTSBORO. THE TORNADO APPEARED TO HAVE BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN IN THE 2300 BLOCK OF SHEEP WALLOW ROAD THEN SKIPPED WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE 3200 BLOCK. MOST OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRED IN THE 3200-3400 BLOCK OF SHEEP WALLOW ROAD...WHERE A NURSERY BUSINESS SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO A GREENHOUSE...WAREHOUSE...AND TWO VEHICLES. MORE THAN 30 TREES DOWN ALONG THE PATH. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 0.9 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF ABOUT 125 YARDS. THE NINTH TORNADO CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE FORT VALLEY AREA IN PEACH COUNTY. THE TORNADO TRAVELED ON THE GROUND NORTHWARD FOR NEARLY FOUR MILES...STARTING IN FORT VALLEY. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WAS REPORTED TO BUILDINGS AND TREES...WITH SEVERAL TREES DOWN ON HOMES IN FORT VALLEY. MULTIPLE HOMES SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT ROOF DAMAGE AND A BANK WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY DESTROYED. LARGE OAK AND PECAN TREES WERE PLUCKED UP AND MOVED. ONE INJURY WAS REPORTED AT ONE OF THE DAMAGED HOMES. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F2...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 4 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF 50 YARDS. THE TENTH TORNADO STRUCK A SMALL PORTION OF EASTERN SPALDING COUNTY ALONG A ONE MILE PATH STARTING FIVE MILES NORTH OF ORCHARD HILL AND ENDING SIX MILES NORTH OF ORCHARD HILL. A SMALL HOME WAS DEMOLISHED. ANOTHER HOME RECEIVED MAJOR DAMAGE AND A HORSE TRAILER WAS THROWN 200 YARDS. THERE WERE TWO INJURIES REPORTED IN THIS AREA. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED F1...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 1 MILE AND A PATH WIDTH OF 100 YARDS. THE ELEVENTH TORNADO WAS CONFIRMED IN NORTHERN FANNIN COUNTY APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF MORGANTON IN A SMALL COMMUNITY ALONG LOVING ROAD JUST NORTH OF U.S. HIGHWAY 76. THIS TORNADO WAS SPAWNED FROM THE SAME THUNDERSTORM CELL THAT CAUSED THE F0 TORNADO IN WESTERN LUMPKIN COUNTY. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST NORTH OF U.S. HIGHWAY 76 AT THE APPALACHIA BAPTIST CHURCH...WHICH SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO ITS ROOF. THE SIGNS ON THE HIGHWAY WERE DESTROYED...A TRASH DUMPSTER WAS MOVED SEVERAL 100 FEET...AND AN OUTSIDE GROUND MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR WAS MOVED FROM ITS BASE. THE TORNADO THEN CONTINUED NORTHWARD INTO THE LOVING ROAD SUBDIVISION WERE HUNDREDS OF LARGE TREES WERE EITHER SPLINTERED...UPROOTED...AND TWISTED OFF. SEVERAL HOMES SUFFERED ROOF DAMAGE FROM THE WIND AND/OR FALLEN TREES. SEVERAL ROADS IN THE SUBDIVISIONS WERE COMPLETELY BLOCKED. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 0.25 MILE AND A PATH WIDTH OF 100 YARDS. THE TWELFTH TORNADO STRUCK THE TOWN OF SOCIAL CIRCLE IN WALTON COUNTY. ABOUT TWO DOZEN TREES WERE KNOCKED DOWN...SOME OF WHICH FELL ON HOMES AND VEHICLES. THIS TORNADO WAS SPAWNED FROM A THUNDERSTORM CELL THAT WAS LIKELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUBSEQUENT TORNADOES IN BARROW...HALL...AND WHITE COUNTIES. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 0.25 MILE AND A PATH WIDTH OF 50 YARDS. THE THIRTEENTH TORNADO CARVED A PATH OF DAMAGE THROUGH FORT YARGO STATE PARK...JUST SOUTHWEST OF WINDER. THE DAMAGE CONSISTED ALMOST ENTIRELY TO TREES IN THE PARK...WHERE AN ESTIMATED 800-900 TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0...WITH A PATH WIDTH OF 1.5 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF 100 YARDS. THE FOURTEENTH TORNADO WAS ALSO RATED AN F0...STRIKING THE WESTERN PORTION OF JACKSON COUNTY NEAR BRASELTON. THE PATH LENGTH WAS ONLY 40 YARDS...BUT THERE WAS ENOUGH DAMAGE TO TREES AND TO THE ROOFS OF A FEW HOMES FOR THE DAMAGE ESTIMATE TO BE PLACED AT 20 THOUSAND DOLLARS. THE PATH WIDTH WAS 20 YARDS. THE FIFTEENTH TORNADO BEGAN IN EXTREME NORTHEAST HALL COUNTY...ONE MILE SOUTH OF LULA...AND ENDED NEAR MOSSY CREEK IN SOUTHEAST WHITE COUNTY. THIS TORNADO HAD THE LONGEST DAMAGE PATH OF ANY TORNADOES REPORTED DURING THIS EVENT...NAMELY 10 MILES. DOZENS OF TREES WERE BLOWN OVER ALONG THE PATH OF THE TORNADO...SOME CAUSING DAMAGE TO HOMES. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 10 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF ABOUT 50 YARDS. THE SIXTEENTH TORNADO ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF KATRINA CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE POPULAR...BAVARIAN STYLE...TOURIST TOWN OF HELEN IN WHITE COUNTY. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS REPORTED TO STRUCTURES IN THE TOWN...INCLUDING A MOTEL AND A CLOTHING OUTLET STORE. THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE MOTEL WAS DESTROYED AND THE CLOTHING OUTLET STORE LOST ITS ROOF AND FRONT WALL. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WAS ALSO REPORTED TO TREES AND POWER LINES THROUGHOUT THE AREA. GEORGIA HIGHWAY 75 WAS BLOCKED BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH OF HELEN FROM FALLEN TREES AND POWER WAS OUT IN THE AREA FOR AT LEAST TWO DAYS. $$ TWM/SN/CW/LPR/RAB