Weekend storms in Georgia leave behind destruction, flooding

Kemp confirms Troup County severe storm was EF-3 tornado

After touring several areas of West Georgia that were devastated by severe weather over the weekend, Gov. Kemp stopped to address the public about what he had seen and the efforts being made by law enforcement and emergency officials to help these communities recover.

TROUP COUNTY, Ga. - The massive cleanup effort continues Monday, a day after an EF-3 tornado tore through Troup County.

Gov. Brian Kemp toured the damage midday on Monday. He says the winds reached upwards to 140 to 150 mph. Kemp promised all state resources will be available to assist.

"We have a tremendous amount of resources on the ground," Kemp said during an afternoon press conference.

Kemp says between 25 and 30 homes were completely destroyed with at least 100 more suffering damage. He says flash flooding compounded the area and the situation is still ongoing.

EF-3 TORNADO TEARS THROUGH WEST POINT COMMUNITY: ‘IT’S JUST A MIRACLE NO ONE WAS KILLED’

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Weekend storms in west Georgia leave behind destruction and flooding. SKYFOX 5 flew over some of those areas on March 27, 2023. (FOX 5)

More than 12 inches have fallen this weekend as the storms passed through west Georgia. Officials say they are monitoring localized flooding and have opened all six gates of West Point Lake to help ease the lake level.

"If you see swift-moving water close to the top of the bridge, do not go over it," said James C. Stallings, director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.

While there have been reports of some injuries, no one has been killed.

"We're just so thankful that there was no loss of life," Kemp said. "We're lucky."

Kemp issued a state of emergency on Sunday, just hours after the storms tore through Georgia.

Officials asked everyone who is traveling in one of the hard-hit areas to ensure they have their IDs. Officials say they want to quell any looting.

DAM BREACH FORCES SPALDING COUNTY RESIDENTS TO EVACUATE

The governor says there were also homes in Meriwether County that were hit hard. He says the state is also helping to monitor the ongoing situation in Spalding County where heavy rains breached a dam.

Dozens of roadways in Upson County were also washed out by flooding.

DOZENS OF UPSON COUNTY ROADS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING, MORE ‘WASHED OUT’

Kemp says he was not able to make it into Milledgeville and Baldwin County where the roof of a hospital and emergency operations center were damaged by the storm. He says he will make another effort to get on the ground there this week.

The governor says he will be working with school districts that were closed Monday to ensure children can continue to get to school safely.