Tornado Damage in North Georgia

[burkbuilds]

Here are a few shots I took Friday as I returned from Atlanta to North West Georgia. Most of them are taken on Lookout Mountain at my in-laws home. Before the Tornado you could not see the Ridge line in the background even in the Winter.

[Water Warrior 2]

Oh my that is destroyed. You didn't say anyone was hurt and if that is the case then thank goodness for that. I do hope they can put their lives back in order before too long.

[BillInGA]

The ground was so saturated that, instead of snapping off limbs or trunks, entire trees were uprooted.

[jonathan180iq]

www.rockbridge.cc/facebook

I've been manning chainsaw crews for the last 2 days. My photo album should be linked through my Church's facebook page.

[burkbuilds]

Thanks for your help Jonathan, I've spent the last three days riding a chainsaw and clearing debris as well. Lots of folks volunteering My 14 year old daughter and her

friend spent all day Saturday piling limbs on burn piles and cleaning up. People would just stop and say, "We are here to help, what can we do, and they worked all day long

with us." Others were bringing bottled water to everyone cutting trees and helping to clear debris, others brought free gloves and many cooked free meals at local churches

and civic centers and fed all the workers and residents. FEMA set up information tents or worked out of parking lots and public buildings, I saw insurance companies set up in

parking lots with RV's and tents. Bucket trucks from all over with full crews are working day and night to restore power. The college students from Covenant College on Lkt.

Mtn. were out clearing the main road and helping residents in the area. It is really great to see America's response when folks are in need, not just dollars, but volunteering

and getting things done with their own hands too. :2tup:

[burkbuilds]

WW, I am grateful to report that my family and close friends escaped without injury and only property damage, but many people lost their lives in these storms and

many more lost every earthly possession they had. I can not imagine the scene in Tuscaloosa Alabama, the pictures on the TV seem to show total devastation for

miles and I do not doubt it. Right here in our county, Catoosa, the city of Ringgold was hit hard with several killed and many more severely injured. Multiple houses

are completely gone, eleven commercial buildings along the Interstate exit were destroyed, the high school and middle school were devastated and will probably have

to be completely rebuilt before they can be used again. Students will move to one of our other schools for the remainder of the school year and one student body

will attend morning classes while the other school's student will attend in the afternoon. I have no idea what they will do in the Fall, there is no way they can build

two new schools and have them open for classes that soon, so this may go on for a year or more. As I drove up from Atlanta on Friday, I would drive for a while

through pristene country, then I'd come along a mile or so where a tornado had obviously come through and torn down power lines and ripped trees off 15-20' up and

then it would be pristine again and then I'd hit another tornado path. Seemed like that repeated about 4-5 times as I rode in.

[Water Warrior 2]

BB, glad to hear no friends or family were hurt. I saw the aftermath of a tornado when it cut a path across Edmonton Alberta back in the 80's. We were very fortunate with no fatalities but the damage was staggering. At that time the City of Edmonton had no emergency reponse in place because there had never been a need. That sure changed in a hurry. I was on the other side of the city at home and didn't even know it happened until some one told me. A couple days later I drove across town to one of the hardest hit industrial areas along a highway and was pretty much speechless for some time.
Lynda oldest son was on his first summer job as a teenager and was witness to the tornado in action. He did his best to help a few folks for a while till he was able to get a ride home and away from the situation. He has apparently never talked aout it since that day.

[jonathan180iq]

Burkbuilds,
Where are you in Catoosa? I'll have another crew out Saturday and might find time to meet up with you.
I've had to get back to my regular job today and I'll probably do the same Friday.

We've been going at it for 5 days now, not including Sunday, and I'm pretty exhausted.

Have you seen Cherokee Valley? We removed the Tree of the home of Mrs. Black, who lost her whole family in the storm and actually drove the route of the tornado a couple of days ago... it's very moving to see that much devastation in one place.

http://daltondailycitizen.com/local/x83 ... believe-it
We wound up getting interviewed on Monday while we were working...

[burkbuilds]

Jonathan, again, I can't thank you and all the other volunteers enough for what you have done for the people who have been hit by all this devastation, thanks.

I live up on the north end of Catoosa Co. about a mile from the state line with Tenn. Lake Winnepesauka amusement park is within earshot of my house, I can hear the kids scream as they go down the big hill on the Cannonball Roller coaster from my backyard.

The amount of damage and the vastness of the areas effected is truly difficult to grasp. My in-laws on Lookout Mtn got their power back on yesterday, my friend Allison, lost her whole house but not her family's lives in the tornado in the Ringgold area. My family was very fortunate, it appears that an F-1 touched down about 50' behind my back fence and then proceeded on up the ridge from there, but I only had one big limb torn off a tree near the back property line and no damage to any buildings.

I've been back in Atlanta all week taking my Finals and working, and to the people here, it might as well be on the other side of the world. I'm not being critical of them, it is just difficult to understand what has happened if you don't see it yourself.

Thanks again for all you have done to help. :2tup:

John

[JWR]

Well I am about to get dug out..

Removed two trees, got a date to have the auto's looked at ( 6-4 ). Had both bikes blown over.
Waiting to have the adjuster look t roof ( totaled).

Took the week-end off and went motorcycle camping.

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