Rockdale County braces for severe storm nearly 1 year after tornado devastates community
Tornado-risk shakes up Rockdale County
Nearly a year ago, an EF-2 tornado touched down overnight in Rockdale County, catching many residents off guard. This weekend's severe weather threat and tornado-risk is shaking up many residents who are still trying to recover from the last storm.
ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. - Residents of Rockdale County are feeling anxious about the severe storms predicted for Saturday night, recalling the EF-2 tornado that struck the area in April 2024.
STORM ALERT DAY: Tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail expected tonight
What they're saying:
"Now, anytime you hear warnings, or they talk about storms, it kind of gets you on edge a little bit," Gregory Daniels said.
"It's anxiety, especially when they're coming in in the middle of the night," he added. "You don't know what to expect."
"We're just nervous, basically, for everybody, because it came at midnight and everybody was sleeping, and we woke up to that. A lot of people didn't. We didn't know what it was until we saw the next morning what actually happened," Kenneth Allen explained.
Rockdale County tornado alert missed residents
Rockdale County leaders are investigating why a number of their residents didn't receive an emergency alert warning them about the severe weather that produced a tornado last week.
How Rockdale County can prepare for severe weather
What you can do:
Ahead of this storm, Rockdale County officials say residents can register for RAVE Mobile Safety on the county website to receive alerts coming from the National Weather Service. You can also sign up by texting "ROCKDALE" to 67283.
They also encourage residents to use a weather radio and make sure their phone is opted in to receive alerts.
Track the storms with the FOX 5 Storm Team
Officials also say there are nine tornado sirens installed throughout the county. The warning sirens on the southside are fully operation and are designed to alert individuals who are outdoors during emergencies in Lorraine Park, Johnson Park, Wheeler Park, and South Rockdale.
The sirens are not supposed to serve as an indoor notification system.
The Source: FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Kim Leoffler interviewed Rockdale County residents and spoke with the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office for this report.