Public Information Statement For Storms Occurring April 8, 2006

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
555 PM EDT MON APR 10 2006

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK BRINGS TORNADOES TO NORTH GEORGIA EARLY
SATURDAY MORNING...

A STRONG...SPRING STORM SYSTEM TRACKED ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI
AND TENNESSEE VALLEY INTO NORTH GEORGIA FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY
SATURDAY. THE STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH
NICKEL TO QUARTER AND SOME GOLF BALL-SIZED HAIL ALONG WITH DAMAGING
WINDS TO A NUMBER OF NORTH GEORGIA COUNTIES DURING THE EARLY MORNING
HOURS...MAINLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. IN ADDITION...PRELIMINARY
DAMAGE SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAVE
CONFIRMED THAT AT LEAST FOUR TORNADOES OCCURRED IN NORTH GEORGIA.
THIS INFORMATION STILL REMAINS PRELIMINARY AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO
REFINE THIS PRODUCT AS FURTHER INFORMATION IS OBTAINED WITHIN THE
NEXT FEW DAYS FROM ADDITIONAL DAMAGE SURVEYS AND INFORMATION FROM
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTORS AND OTHER COUNTY OFFICIALS. PLEASE
CONSULT OUR LOCAL STORM REPORT...ATLLSRFFC...FOR ADDITIONAL STORM
DAMAGE INFORMATION.

F0 TORNADO...POLK COUNTY...4S CEDARTOWN - 5SE CEDARTOWN...
320 AM - 328 AM EDT:
THE FIRST TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILES SOUTH OF
CEDARTOWN IN POLK COUNTY AND TRACKED TO THE EAST AROUND FIVE MILES
ENDING ABOUT SIX MILES SOUTHEAST OF CEDARTOWN. ABOUT A DOZEN HOMES
WERE DAMAGED ALONG THE PATH OF THE TORNADO...MOSTLY FROM DOWNED
TREES. A FEW POWER LINES WERE ALSO DOWN IN THE AREA. PORCHES WERE
BLOWN OFF TWO HOMES FIVE MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CEDARTOWN.
SEVERAL OUT BUILDINGS WERE ALSO DAMAGED...INCLUDING A GREENHOUSE.
THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0 ON THE FUJITA DAMAGE RATING
SCALE...WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 5 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF 50 TO 100
YARDS.

F2 TORNADO...POLK COUNTY...1NW ROCKMART - 2ENE ROCKMART...
330AM - 335 AM EDT:
THE SECOND TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE NORTHWEST OF
ROCKMART AND TRACKED TO THE EAST ABOUT THREE MILES. NEARLY TWO DOZEN
HOMES WERE DAMAGED ALONG THE PATH...TWO OF WHICH WERE DESTROYED. A
NUMBER OF OUT BUILDINGS WERE ALSO HEAVILY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
MINOR DAMAGE WAS ALSO REPORTED TO THE ROCKMART HIGH
SCHOOL...ESPECIALLY THE ATHLETIC FIELDS. A YOUNG CHILD WAS INJURED
AT ONE OF THE DAMAGED HOMES WHEN SHEET ROCK AND RAFTERS FELL ON THE
COUCH WHERE HE WAS SLEEPING AND POSSIBLY ANOTHER INJURY TO A WOMAN
SOUTH OF CEDARTOWN.  IN ADDITION...A CARPORT WAS ALSO BLOWN OFF A
HOME ONE MILE NORTHWEST OF ROCKMART AND FIVE COAL CARS WERE
COMPLETELY BLOWN OFF A RAILROAD TRACK.  AN 18-WHEEL TRUCK TRAILER AS
ALSO BLOWN OVER.  THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN F2...WITH A PATH LENGTH
OF 3 MILES AND A PATH WIDTH OF 50 TO 100 YARDS.

F0 TORNADO...COBB COUNTY...8W MARIETTA - MARIETTA...
350AM - 400 AM EDT:
THE THIRD TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MILES WEST OF
MARIETTA NEAR DUE WEST ROAD AND GEORGIA HIGHWAY 120 AND TRAVELED A
SPORADIC...TWO SEGMENTED PATH TO A POINT JUST WEST OF INTERSTATE 75
NEAR COBB COUNTY PARKWAY/U.S. HIGHWAY 41 AND THE BIG CHICKEN.  THE
FIRST SEGMENT EXISTED FROM ROUGHLY THE INTERSECTION OF GEORGIA
HIGHWAY 120 AND DUE WEST ROAD TO A POINT ABOUT TWO MILES EAST OF
THERE OR SIX MILES WEST OF MARIETTA.  ABOUT SIX HOMES IN THE CORN
LAKE AREA SUSTAINED DAMAGE FROM DOWNED TREES...ONE OF WHICH SUFFERED
MAJOR DAMAGE. ONE INJURY WAS REPORTED IN THIS AREA. THIS SEGMENT OF
THE TORNADO WAS RATED AN F0 WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 2 MILES AND A PATH
WIDTH OF 50 YARDS.  THE SECOND AND BRIEF SEGMENT OF THE TORNADO
BEGAN IN MARIETTA NEAR NORTH COBB PARKWAY/U.S. HIGHWAY 41 AND
ROSWELL STREET AND ENDED NEAR THE BIG CHICKEN AND AN ADJACENT
SHOPPING CENTER.  ABOUT 100 TREES WERE DOWN IN THIS AREA.  THE BIG
CHICKEN BILLBOARD WAS DAMAGED AND DAMAGE WAS ALSO OBSERVED TO AT
LEAST TWO OTHER COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS IN THE AREA AND A K-MART. THIS
SEGMENT OF THE TORNADO WAS ALSO RATED AN F0 WITH A PATH LENGTH OF
1/2 MILE AND A PATH WIDTH OF 50 YARDS.

F1 TORNADO...COBB AND FULTON COUNTIES...NOONDAY - 3E ALPHARETTA...
355 AM - 415 AM EDT:
THE FOURTH TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILES NORTH OF
MARIETTA OR JUST SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF CANTON ROAD/GEORGIA
HIGHWAY 5 AND JAMERSON ROAD AND TRAVELED EAST ABOUT 18 MILES TO
ALPHARETTA IN NORTH FULTON COUNTY.  AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TORNADO
TRACK...AT LEAST 200 TREES WERE DOWN WITH DAMAGE REPORTED TO ABOUT
60 HOMES...10 WITH MAJOR DAMAGE AND 50 WITH MINOR DAMAGE.  THE
MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRED WITHIN THE JAMERSON FOREST
SUBDIVISION IN THE NOONDAY AREA.  INTERMITTENT DAMAGE CONTINUED FROM
THIS POINT INTO NORTH FULTON COUNTY WITH MINOR DAMAGE REPORTED TO
SEVERAL HOMES IN THE SWEAT MOUNTAIN AREA. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE WAS
ONCE AGAIN NOTED JUST SOUTH OF CRABAPPLE. A CAR WASH AND DETAIL SHOP
WERE DESTROYED...A GAS STATION SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE...AND A NEARBY
STRIP MALL SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE.  HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE
DOWN ON RUCKER ROAD. THE DAMAGE CONTINUED INTO THE ALPHARETTA AREA
WHERE ABOUT 40 HOMES WERE DAMAGED BY DOWNED TREES.  FIVE OF THE
HOMES HAD MAJOR DAMAGE WITH 35 SUSTAINING MINOR DAMAGE.  THIS
TORNADO WAS RATED AN F1 AND HAD A PATH LENGTH OF 18 MILES...7 MILES
IN COBB COUNTY AND 11 MILES IN NORTH FULTON. THE PATH WIDTH RANGED
FROM 10 TO 200 YARDS WIDE AT POINTS ALONG THE PATH.

ADDITIONAL UPDATES MAY STILL OCCUR TO THIS REPORT WITHIN THE NEXT
DAY OR TWO AS FURTHER INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE FROM LOCAL
COUNTY GOVERNMENTS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS...AND ADDITIONAL DAMAGE
SURVEY INFORMATION.

$$

RAB/SN/EA