Cleanup Efforts Continue in Atlanta, Elsewhere

Sunday - 9:00 a.m.

The clean-up effort began again Sunday morning in Downtown Atlanta, Northwest Georgia, Bartow County and other areas after severe storms ripped through the state over the weekend.

According to Georgia Power, less than 100 customers in Atlanta are still without power. Around 86,000 people are without power in Savannah after St. Patrick?s Day celebrations turned from green to black.

10:30 p.m.

Repair crews and emergency workers were on scene of tornado damage in Metro Atlanta well into Saturday night. At the Omni Hotel, which sustained some of the worst damage, progress had been made, but they still had a ways to go.

The bridge that connected the Omni Hotel to CNN spent Saturday with its windows boarded up, and it was only one place out of many where windows were broken.

Police, as well as Mayor Franklin, warned citizens to stay away from the damaged areas. Though the heavy equipment and heavy debris were picked up, there were still many sharp, small objects that could harm people. But some still wandered around, taking pictures.

"I'm just trying to glance at everything, see how everything happened," said Carl Martin. Martin also said he didn't believe the area was safe, though that didn't stop him from coming to look at it.

For months, people visiting the downtown area will have to be careful. With all the broken windows, tiny pieces of glass are likely to be found throughout the area, much like when a glass is dropped on a tile floor.

11Alive's Valerie Hoff, who spent several years working at CNN, shared her thoughts about the Omni Hotel.

"When there was severe weather," Hoff said, "CNN put us up in the Omni to make sure we'd all come to work."

CNN's archive library and international desk were among the hardest-hit areas in the building.

6 p.m.

Gov. Sonny Perdue issued a statement on this weekend's storms Saturday afternoon.

"I am very proud of the state's response, and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency will continue to coordinate the state's efforts to assist local officials in responding to the needs imposed by last night's destructive storm," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "The state will continue to utilize every resource at our disposal, including asking our federal partners for assistance if necessary, to mitigate the impact of this severe weather," Perdue said. "I am deeply grateful for the courageous, professional response from emergency personnel who immediately answered the call to help our residents and visitors. This storm hit a highly populated area, but their actions kept the number of injuries to a minimum."

One person was killed at a home in Polk County; a second person died in Floyd County, while a person was reported in critical condition there.

Up to 27 people were reported hurt in Atlanta in Friday night's storms.

The Red Cross has two centers open in Atlanta: Helene Mills Recreation Center, 515 John Wesley Dobbs Ave., near the King Center in the old 4th Ward; and the Central Park Recreation Center, 400 Merritt Ave., adjacent to the Civic Center.

They are asking anyone who wants to donate to help those affected by the storms to go to RedCross.org.

Grady Memorial Hospital, the city's large public hospital where many of the injured were taken after Friday night's storm, had broken windows but was operating as usual.

Power was knocked out to about 19,000 customers, according to Georgia Power, and about 10,000 remained without power Saturday.

5:45 p.m.

Employees at the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City said that half-dollar sized hail of about an inch and a half in diameter fell there at about 5:45 p.m.

Many of Saturday's storms have moved southward to clip the city on the southern edge as the late afternoon hours passed.

The bulk of the tornado warnings were to the east of Atlanta by 5:30 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

Additional thunderstorm warnings have been issued for Clayton, DeKalb, Henry, Newton and Rockdale counties until 5:45 p.m.

The National Weather Service said they had reports of golf ball to baseball sized hail in downtown Atlanta at around 4 p.m.

3:50 p.m.

A tornado warning has been issued for Cobb, Douglas and Fulton counties, including downtown Atlanta, where clean-up efforts have been temporarily halted, as crews were told to seek shelter.

An additional tornado warning for DeKalb County unitl 4:30.

3 p.m. Saturday

SEC officials said the tournament's final game has been moved to 3:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Georgia Tech, due to the storm.

Officials in Forsyth County said they had reports of Egg-sized hail of around two inches in diameter two miles south of Chestatee.

2:30 p.m.

State insurance commissioner John Oxendine surveyed tornado damage in downtown Atlanta on Saturday, and said he estimated at least $150 million in damage.

"That figure will rise as new claims are reported," Oxendine said. "Damage to the Georgia World Congress Center was quite extensive."

Local residents can call the commissioner's consumer services division at 404-656-2070 if they are having problems dealing with their insurance company, or are having troubles reaching them.

Their phone lines are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Tornado warnings continued to be advanced for counties to the north of Atlanta, including Hall, Banks, Forsyth and Cherokee counties. A tornado warning was issued that included far northern Fulton County as more storms continued to enter western Georgia from Alabama.

At 2:40, CNN reported a tornado spotted on the ground crossing Interstate 85 in Banks County near exit 149 in Homer, Ga.

2 p.m. Saturday

The National Weather Service said they had reports of a tornado on the ground crossing Georgia 400 in Forsyth County, three miles north of Cumming.

They said that the center of rotation was half-way between Flowery Branch and Gainesville at 2 p.m.

1:20 p.m. Saturday

The Polk County Sheriff has indicated that there are two confirmed fatalities in the Von Loop and Wax Road damage.

The National Weather Service said that they have received reports of damage to a number of mobile homes and the elementary school in Taylorsville in Bartow County.

They also said that three miles east of Euhralee, a trained spotter reported possible tornado damage with trees down along Euhralee Road.

GEMA officials are reporting a building collapse in Dalton. GEMA's Buzz Weiss said there are no reports of serious injuries in that collapse.

Officials in Polk County are reporting that bulldozers are being called in to help rescue workers get to homes and structures that are damaged there.

1 p.m. Saturday

Fire and rescue officials in Polk County said that there was extensive damage at Von Loop and Wax roads, with unconfirmed reports of two fatalities.

An official in Bartow County said that there was debris in Cartersville south of the airport there.

12:30 p.m. Saturday

At 12:30, a new tornado warning was issued for Cobb, Cherokee, Bartow and Paulding counties until 1:15 p.m.

The National Weather Service said a trained spotter reported a possible tornado with trees down and roof damage in Bartow County along Popum Road north of Taylorsville. In addition, they had received reports of damage in Polk County and southwest Bartow County at 12:45 p.m.

At 12:52, the National Weather Service said emergency management reported at 12:24, a possible tornado along Highway 101. Emergency crews have been dispatched due to reports of heavy damage.

At noon, a tornado warning was issued for counties to the west of Atlanta, as they are moving toward the Atlanta area. A tornado watch was in effect for much of north Georgia until 7 p.m.

According to emergency management officials, a funnel cloud was observed by police moving due east from the Lake City area in Polk Co., to the east of Cedartown.

A National Weather Service statement at 12:30 said a "potent severe weather event" appeared likely across north Georgia and parts of the Carolinas as a result of additional storms on Saturday.

Noon Saturday

National Weather Service and city of Atlanta officials held a joint news conference late Saturday morning. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin announced a state of emergency in the city, as damage clean-up continues.

"On behalf of the City Council, I want to say we are thankful that we have had no reports of lives lost to this storm," said Mayor Shirley Franklin. "I also want to praise the City's emergency services personnel, public works and parks crews who have worked diligently throughout the night to ensure the safety of our citizens and visitors and clean dangerous debris from our streets."

The mayor said that GEMA, the Red Cross, the Atlanta Fire Department and other agencies were working together to help with the disaster and recovery efforts.

With Mayor Franklin's request for state assistance, a request for assistance from the federal government will be pushed through.

Officials with the National Weather Service said the storm that damaged downtown Atlanta was an EF-2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with winds of 135 mph.

They said the storm's path was about 200 yards wide and about six miles long.

The storm first touched down near the intersection of Simpson and Burbank in Vine City, traveled across the Georgia World Congress Center, CNN Center and the Omni Hotel, moved over the Equitable building in downtown Atlanta, crossed the Downtown Connector, and then touched down again at the Cotton Mill lofts in Cabbagetown.

11Alive's Julie Wolfe, reports that state insurance commissioner John Oxendine said that there was hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage at the Georgia World Congress Center alone.

Four Georgia Search and Rescue teams continue their search at the Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts at 170 Boulevard. Personnel from the DeKalb, Cobb, Clayton, and Gwinnett fire departments make up this specialty team. DeKalb K-9 units are also assisting in the search.

City officials announced that the Washington Tennis Center and Natatorium, the Butler Park Recreation Center and Central Park are closed because of power outages.

The Red Cross said they have two shelters set up for people affected by the storms.

As of 11:30 a.m., Georgia Power reported about 10,000 homes remaining without power after Friday's storms.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, whose district includes much of the city of Atlanta, issued a statement early Saturday afternoon.

"My heart and my prayers go out to all the victims of the tornado in Atlanta. My office has been communicating with Mayor Franklin's office and the Federal Emergency Management Administration to determine how we can work together to respond to this crisis. My understanding at this time is that there may be one fatality. Thirty people have been injured, and the city has already set up temporary housing. About 70 people have arrived so far to receive shelter," Lewis said. "Several of our major landmarks-- the Georgia Dome, Centennial Park, the Georgia World Congress Center, and even my office in Atlanta--have been ravaged by this tornado, and another one could be one the way. Atlanta is a strong, resilient city. We have pulled together and survived through major crises before. I want the people of Atlanta to rest assured that the leadership of this city, the state government, and their federal representatives are working together to try to get the city back on its feet again as quickly as possible. I believe the people of this city are praying for each other and will pull together to support each other through this difficult time."