Dozens of tornado warnings were issued and at least ten tornado reports were received by the National Weather Service on Tuesday as Tropical Depression Fred trekked across Georgia.
Around 10:36 AM on August 17, Habersham EMA reported a tornado was on the ground in Banks County headed into Habersham. People sheltered in homes, schools, and businesses as sirens sounded.
Students in Habersham huddled in hallways. Given the severity of the storm, the superintendent says he was glad the students were in school.
“Many of our students live in mobile homes and double wides which are the worst possible places to be during a tropical storm or tornado,” Cooper tells Now Habersham. “Schools are made of steel and concrete and are the safest buildings in our entire county.”
“Even though White County was never placed under a tornado warning, the Emergency Operations Center requested Mt. Yonah Elementary School to go under emergency operations due to the warning that was issued in Banks and Habersham County,” says White County Emergency Management Agency Director David Murphy. He says the storm changed to a northwesterly movement on radar “and the operations center felt it necessary to proactively move kids to safety for a period of time.”
The town of Homer reported some of its buildings were damaged. At least four other towns in Georgia also reported what appears to be tornado-related damage.
The severe weather stirred by Fred washed out roads and downed trees across Northeast Georgia, forcing officials to close dozens of area roadways.
The Chattahoochee River overflowed its banks, causing significant flooding in Helen, damaging condos and cabins in the popular tourist town.
Flooding also damaged at least one retail outlet in Cornelia. Emergency crews were called to assist people trapped inside a salon on North Main Street after the parking lot flooded.
Elsewhere in Habersham, Chase Road between Camp Creek Road and the Cornelia Walmart was blocked due to flooding.
There were also reports of flooding on B.C. Grant Road in Alto.
Across Habersham, trees fell on roads, and in Demorest, a tree fell on top of a house. Fortunately, no one was home at the time.
Habersham EMA Director Lynn Smith said Tuesday she was not aware of any reports of injuries.
Moving forward
Following Tuesday’s weather mayhem, as of early August 18, only a Flood Warning for Towns County remained. All other weather warnings, watches, and advisories for Northeast Georgia have expired, according to the National Weather Service.
RELATED: Habersham County Schools cancels afterschool activities due to weather
After working through the night, utility crews continued working early Wednesday to restore power to a handful of homes and businesses that lost electricity during the storm.
Most of those outages were in Habersham, Rabun, and White counties. Habersham EMC brought in extra crews from other co-ops to help with its restoration efforts.
With the ground so heavily saturated and more rain on the way through the end of this week, there’s a possibility more trees could fall. That could cause more trees and power lines to fall.
Officials urge drivers and others in the affected areas to remain vigilant. Watch for downed trees and power lines. Treat downed lines as if they were live; do not get out of your vehicle or touch downed cables.
If you see standing or rushing water on the road, do not attempt to drive through it and do not attempt to bypass road barricades, officials caution.
This article has been updated
