2 Killed As Storms, Tornadoes Pound Georgia
Atlanta Mayor Declares State Of Emergency
State Of Emergency Declared
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin declared a state of emergency in the city on Saturday and urged people to stay indoors.All events scheduled for downtown Atlanta on Saturday, including a St. Patrick's Day parade, were canceled.Saturday morning the National Weather Service confirmed that the storm was an EF2 strength tornado that stretched for six miles and tore a path through downtown Atlanta. An EF2 tornado brings winds of between 120 and 130 mph. The tornado smashed skyscraper windows, sucked furniture and luggage out of hotel rooms, crumbled part of an apartment building and rattled the rafters of two major sports arenas filled with basketball fans."It was crazy. There was a lot of windows breaking and stuff falling," said Terrence Evans, a valet who was about to park a car at the Omni Hotel when the apparent twister hit. A tornado warning had been issued for downtown a few minutes before. A spokesman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency said at least 27 people were taken to area hospitals, although none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening.According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the most recent tornado to hit a major city's downtown was on Aug. 12, 2004, in Jacksonville, Fla. Downtown tornadoes have also struck Fort Worth, Texas; Salt Lake City, Little Rock, Ark.; and Nashville, Tenn., in the past decade.Friday night's tornado is the first in recorded history to hit downtown Atlanta, according to the National Weather Service. The last tornado to strike inside the city was in 1975, and it hit the governor's mansion north of downtown.
- March 15, 2008: 2 Dead As Storms Roll Through Southeast
- March 14, 2008: Atlanta Hit Hard By Possible Tornado
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