A massive storm system that swept across the South killed at least eight people on Thursday. Two of those deaths were in Georgia, state officials confirmed.
Gov. Brian Kemp spoke at a press conference Friday morning, addressing the deaths and damages from extreme weather that swept through the state on Thursday.
Two people have been killed by storm debris so far. One of the victims was a 5-year-old child killed by a tree falling on a car. An adult was also critically injured in an accident in Butts County, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ home county. One Department of Transportation employee was also killed while responding to storm damage.
Georgia Emergency Management Agency Director James Stallings confirmed that four tornadoes touched the ground during the storm. He also noted that some areas that did not see a tornado experienced winds up to 75 mph. The storm hit Spalding County the hardest, and Stallings cautioned Spalding residents to be mindful of falling debris post-storm.
“Don’t be shocked to find out that more trees are going to come down and limbs are going to break loose,” he said. “There’s still some wind in the front moving through, so anything that’s loose will still fall.”
A subdivision in Spalding sustained damages that displaced people from 50 homes.
State agencies were still working Friday to clear roadways and have power restored in areas most heavily impacted.
Economic damages have not yet been assessed.
“That’s a main priority of GEMA certainly, but first is life and safety issues and restoring power and those types of things, necessities for people,” Kemp said. Georgia will seek federal assistance for disaster relief if the state qualifies, he said.
Damage from Lake Jackson in Butts county. pic.twitter.com/2l4s5wmCSL
— Jeff Hill (@jeffhillfox5) January 13, 2023
The first call we received was from Master Brand Cabinets, the large manufacturing center at I-75 and Georgia 16 in Butts County. This was part of the damage discovered at the facility. Fortunately all employees were safely evacuated and no injuries requiring EMS were reported. pic.twitter.com/V5fTKyskHP
— J. Michael Brewer (@JMichaelBrewer) January 13, 2023
Kemp declared a state of emergency freeing up government resources to assist with storm response and recovery efforts. An emergency order he renewed on January 6 aimed at easing supply chain issues remains in effect.
The weather emergency is set to expire on January 19.
Kemp, Jones, and Speaker of the House Jon Burns will take a helicopter tour of statewide damage. But Kemp said that they will not be on the ground immediately to allow state agencies to continue their storm responses without disruptions.
Twister tears through Selma
In Autauga County, Alabama, officials say at least seven people have now been confirmed dead after a tornado swept across the rural community. The county is located 41 miles northeast of Selma, where a twister damaged buildings and tossed cars in the historic downtown district.
MONSTER Tornado earlier in Selma, Alabama!
Permission: Caleb LeGrone@WeatherBug #ALwx #Alabama #TORNADO #Selma #SelmaAlabama https://t.co/weJaAMYSNk pic.twitter.com/ktzpvr8GXW
— Live Storm Chasers (@LiveStormChaser) January 12, 2023
VIDEO: Selma’s downtown area is hit hard by a tornado. #alwx #flwx 🎥: Mike Cotton/Dave Barnes pic.twitter.com/jKL1sHMGGy
— Kimberly Wyatt (@tv_leader) January 12, 2023
NEW video from Selma, which has been devastated by a tornado this afternoon pic.twitter.com/EnoQBucXg1
— Jonathan Hardison (@FOX6Hardison) January 12, 2023
Nationwide, there were 33 separate tornado reports from the National Weather Service on Thursday, and Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and North Carolina all saw tornado warnings for a time.
The tornado reports have not yet confirmed and some of them could later be classified as wind damage after assessments are done in the coming days.
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GPB News contributed to this report
