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Deadly tornadoes skirt by county A system of powerful storms packing Class F3 tornadoes with wind speeds between 136 and 165 miles per hour passed through the southeast Thursday killing at least 19 people in Georgia and Alabama. Eight students were killed in Enterprise, Ala., when the Enterprise high school took a direct hit from a powerful tornado Thursday afternoon. School officials were trying to release students from the school due to the approaching storms, but had them seek shelter in the hallways instead just before the storm hit. The twister reportedly destroyed the math and science wings of the school. Another 40 students and faculty members were sent to hospitals with injuries and another death was reported elsewhere in Enterprise. Closer to home, Baker County was hard hit late Thursday night. Six people died there when a tornado ripped through a mobile home park. Baker EMA officials noted there was hardly any warning. The tornado hit about a minute and a half after it showed up on radar, leaving a path of destruction from two to three miles long. Over 30 homes and other buildings were damaged or destroyed. In Clay County between 40 and 60 homes were damaged when a tornado crossed Lake Walter F. George and came ashore in the Gopher Ridge area and plowed through Pataula Heights on the shore of Pataula Creek. Another tornado ripped through Americus Thursday night. Two people were reportedly killed when the storm hit the Sumter Regional Medical Center. A tornado touched down in southeastern Early County and left a path of downed trees between Hwy 370 and Howard's Mill. There were no injuries and no structural damage was reported. Storm damage was also reported in Randolph, Stewart, Quitman and Webster counties and north Columbus subdivisions reportedly suffered severe damage. Another fatality was reported in Taylor County. The storm system stretched from the Gulf Coast to Missouri where another fatality was reported, bringing the total deaths to 20.
After viewing the damaged areas Friday, Gov. Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency in Baker, Clay, Crawford, McDuffie, Mitchell, Muscogee, Stewart, Sumter and Taylor counties.
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