Tornado that hit NE Ga. was an EF2

CLEVELAND - The National Weather Service (NWS) has determined that during the outbreak of tornadoes in Georgia last week, Lumpkin, White, Habersham and Rabun counties were hit by an EF-2 tornado with winds up to 120 miles an hour.

A NWS storm survey team in conjunction with White County Emergency Management Agency found that the tornado touched down around 10:20 last Wednesday night in northern Lumpkin County about five miles southeast of Suches and traveled 17 miles northeast to the White/Habersham county line, crossing north of Helen around 10:50. The system traveled into Habersham and Rabun counties where it caused more damage, damaging or destroying a number of homes around Lake Burton. The tornado downed several thousand trees across the steep terrain of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The storm's path was one-fourth mile wide.

As far as power restoration is concerned, Habersham EMC says about 150 of its customers remain without power in Rabun County. Spokeswoman Nicole Dover says as crews are able to access the hardest areas, they are finding that existing power lines and poles, as well as homes, are completely gone.

She said they are getting assistance from Davey Tree, Georgia Right of Way Company, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, Hart EMC, Jackson EMC and Little Ocmulgee EMC and are "working aggressively" to clear trees and other storm debris so they can reach areas where poles and lines need to be replace. Dover said more than 170 power poles and several miles of line will have to be replaced.

(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)