Local officials and members of the community are sharing their reports from a severe thunderstorm that broke out Monday afternoon.
“We are getting a lot of reports of damage out of the Lake Lanier area right now,” said Dylan Lusk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City. “We’re gonna have to go out and actually look for ourselves to see or determine what kind of damage it actually was.”
Zach Brackett, spokesperson with Hall County Fire Services, said in an email, “We have received reports of damage and information from the area through Hall County 911. No injuries have been reported. Hall County EMA and the Corps of Engineers have personnel en route to assess.”
One area that saw extensive damage was Aqualand Marina, located off Lights Ferry Road.
Casey Ramsey, Director of the Hall County Emergency Management area, said Monday evening that phone calls reporting damage at the marina starting coming in shortly after a severe thunderstorm warning was issued at roughly 2:10 p.m.
"After assessment by Hall County Emergency Management, Hall County Fire Services, and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency it was noted that multiple docks and vessels had been damaged or destroyed," Ramsey said. "There have been no injuries reported."
Aqualand Marina and Holiday Marina, both on Lake Lanier, are currently closed to the general public.
Members of the community have also submitted reports of a possible waterspout over Lake Lanier, which Ramsey addressed in his evening update.
"We are aware of reports that a tornado was spotted or touched down along with photos circulating on social media of a water spout. This has not been confirmed and we are working closely with the National Weather Service to determine the most likely cause of the damage," he said. "At this point it appears to be straight line winds that have affected the area."
This report will be updated.
