An EF-0 tornado touched down briefly in Fleming, and three structures were damaged when trees toppled on to them across the county from Hurricane Idalia.
Liberty County Emergency Management Agency Director Robert Dodd said damage assessment teams were out Thursday morning surveying the debris left in Idalia’s wake. But no roads are closed and there appear to be no injuries from the storm, he said.
There were 17 trees down on roads and seven down on power lines. The structures damaged by falling threes were two homes and one outbuilding, and the structures damaged were spread across the county.
The Fleming tornado did extensive damage to a barn, Dodd said. The tornado had peak winds of 85 mph, according to the National Weather Service’s Charleston, S.C., office and was on the ground for .53 miles. The tornado touched down about a half-mile east-southeast of Mt. Olive Church Road and moved rapidly toward the northwest, ending just west of Mt. Olivet Church Road.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler) paid a visit to the Liberty County EMA on Thursday and praised their work and the work of local officials in keeping residents informed.
“This is long from over,” he said, noting the November 30 end to the Atlantic hurricane season. “I’d rather be lucky than good and we were both. It didn’t turn out as bad as perhaps as we thought it might. And I credit EMA for the preparations they made to make sure everyone is notified and educated as to what they need to be doing.”
Liberty EMA officials also said residents should be careful about what Facebook posts they are sharing, since there is a Liberty County in Florida, not far from Tallahassee, and if a shelter is opened there for a hurricane, it will get tagged on social media as being in Liberty County, Georgia.
Reports of damage or debris should be made to (912) 368-2202.
All Liberty County government offices, City of Hinesville offices and Liberty County schools are expected to be open Friday.