A tornado watch that covered Liberty and Long counties was lifted at 4 p.m. yesterday and, other than brief spurts of rain, the community seems to have dodged the severe storms and tornados that claimed the lives of more than 280 people in six states throughout the Southeast, according to reports.
In Georgia the hardest hit areas were Ringgold, Rome and Catoosa County where it is estimated that 15 people were killed in direct hits from tornados.
Gov. Nathan Deal took a tour of the affected area and declared a state of emergency for 13 Georgia counties.
Alabama took the brunt of the storm and reports on cnn.com say at least 194 of the deaths occurred there with 36 reported fatalities in Tuscaloosa.
Here, early in the day, Liberty Emergency Management Director Mike Hodges said emergency workers were told that damaging weather was possible, so preparations were made. He also urged caution on residents.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported 45,000 Georgia Power Customers were without electrical service statewide.
By 5 p.m. all the local watches, warnings and severe weather alerts had been lifted except for a special marine warning and small craft advisory which extended from Savannah to the Altamaha Sound. Today’s forecast called for only a 30 percent chance of rain.