PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
412 PM EDT TUE MAR 18 2008

...PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE TORNADOES OF SATURDAY MARCH 15TH...

DAMAGE SURVEY TEAMS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN PEACHTREE CITY HAS CONFIRMED THREE TORNADOES OCCURRED
SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

TORNADO #1
THE SURVEY TEAM CONCLUDED THAT AN EF3 TORNADO HIT POLK...FLOYD
...BARTOW COUNTIES. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT 1225 PM EDT
APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF ARAGON NEAR STATE HIGHWAY 101 AT
THE POLK-FLOYD COUNTY LINE. THE TORNADO THEN TRAVELED EAST 16 MILES
ACROSS EXTREME NORTHEAST POLK COUNTY AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST FLOYD
COUNTY AND SOUTHERN BARTOW COUNTY BEFORE LIFTING JUST SOUTHEAST OF
THE CARTERSVILLE AIRPORT ABOUT 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CARTERSVILLE AT
1245 PM EDT. MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS WERE ESTIMATED NEAR 150 MPH. THE
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH WAS 1/2 MILE. EF3 LEVEL DAMAGE WAS NOTED AT 3
POINTS ALONG THE PATH AS WELL.

THE TORNADO PRODUCED 2 FATALITIES AND 3 INJURIES. ONE FATALITY AND
ONE CRITICAL INJURY OCCURRED ON BON LOOP ROAD IN FAR NORTHERN POLK
COUNTY WHEN A HOME WAS DESTROYED. ANOTHER FATALITY AND TWO INJURIES
OCCURRED ON OLD WAX RD IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST FLOYD COUNTY WHEN A HOME
WAS DESTROYED. THOUSANDS OF TREES WERE DOWNED. AT LEAST 20 HOMES
WERE DESTROYED AND HUNDREDS OF STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED. SEVERAL HIGH
TENSION POWER LINE SUPPORT STRUCTURES WERE ALSO HEAVILY DAMAGED.

AN AERIAL SURVEY CONDUCTED ON SUNDAY ALONG WITH CONFIRMATION FROM
EMERGENCY MANAGERS CONCLUDES THAT DESPITE STRONG RADAR-INDICATED
ROTATION AND NUMEROUS FUNNEL CLOUD SIGHTINGS...THERE WAS NO FURTHER
DEFINITIVE TORNADO TRACK ONCE THE TORNADO LIFTED IN SOUTHERN BARTOW
COUNTY. SPOTTY LIGHT DAMAGE WAS REPORTED FURTHER EAST THROUGH
CHEROKEE...FORSYTH...HALL...AND BANKS COUNTIES BUT INFORMATION
GATHERED THUS FAR IS INCONCLUSIVE TO SUPPORT TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS...
RATHER THIS DAMAGE IS MOST LIKELY DUE TO SEVERE WINDS.

TORNADO #2
THE SURVEY TEAM CONCLUDED THAT AN EF2 TORNADO STRUCK JEFFERSON
COUNTY BEFORE MOVING INTO BURKE COUNTY. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT
615 PM EDT ABOUT 1 MILE NORTHWEST OF WRENS AND TRAVELED EAST 9 MILES
BEFORE CROSSING THE BURKE COUNTY LINE ABOUT 4 MILES EAST OF MATTHEWS
AT 625 PM EDT. THE TORNADO CONTINUED FOR A TOTAL PATH LENGTH OF 19
MILES...LIFTING NEAR THE APPLEWOOD COUNTRY CLUB ABOUT 13 MILES EAST
OF MATTHEWS IN BURKE COUNTY. MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS WERE ESTIMATED NEAR
120 MPH. THE MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH WAS 1/4 MILE. SIGNIFICANT ROOF
DAMAGE TO HOMES WAS OBSERVED AND SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES WERE DESTROYED
IN MATTHEWS. NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWNED IN WRENS...SOME OF WHICH
FELL ON HOMES AND STRUCTURES. NO SERIOUS INJURIES OR FATALITIES WERE
REPORTED.

TORNADO #3
ON TUESDAY MARCH 18TH A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT TEAM SURVEYED THE DAMAGE ACROSS SOUTH BUTTS COUNTY. THE
TEAM DETERMINED AN EF0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 615 PM EDT OVER
SOUTHWEST BUTTS COUNTY NEAR THE JOE LAND ROAD AND KINARDS MILL ROAD
INTERSECT. THE TORNADO CAUSED NUMEROUS TREE DAMAGE AND DESTROYED A
BARN ALONG A 3.25 MILE PATH BEFORE LIFTING NEAR THE BROOKS ROAD AND
NATHAN THAXTON ROAD INTERSECT. THE PATH WIDTH WAS AROUND 100 YARDS
WIDE. MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS WERE ESTIMATED NEAR 80 MPH. NO INJURIES OR
FATALITIES WERE REPORTED.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE ADDED TO THIS REPORT AS NEW
INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.