Katrina brings storms, tornadoes to Georgia

<p>The remnants of Hurricane Katrina smashed into Georgia, spawning bands of storms and tornadoes across the state that caused at least two deaths, multiple injuries and leveled dozens of buildings.</p><p>In the picturesque northeast Georgia town of Helen, a possible tornado ripped through the roof of the Econo Lodge in the center of the city. Touted as the state's third most popular tourist destination after Atlanta and Savannah, officials on Tuesday were asking people not to visit storm-damaged Helen unless absolutely necessary.</p><p>Only four rooms were occupied in the lodge, all on the first floor, when the second floor was nearly leveled by the storm, said night manager Ish Patel. Several other buildings in the town center, including an outlet mall and restaurants, also were damaged.</p><p>"I woke up, I heard the wind howling. I was dead asleep. I got my wife and daughter and we hid behind a strong door," Patel said, adding he then helped his guests evacuate to a nearby shelter. "If they were on the second floor, somebody'd get hurt, that's for sure."</p><p>Throughout the state, authorities scrambled to recover from the devastating storm, which brought tornado warnings from as far south as Spalding and Henry counties and caused at least $10 million in damage.</p><p>"Some of these houses, it's just ripped them apart," said Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine. "It's amazing we haven't had more people hurt than we had."</p><p>The western part of the state bore the brunt of the weather, said Georgia Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Kathy Huggins.</p><p>Carroll County _ southwest of Atlanta on the Alabama line _ was among the areas hardest hit. Shortly after 5 p.m. Monday, two sport utility vehicles collided as heavy storms moved through the area, killing one. The identity of the victim was not released. Another man, Craig Eidson, was killed when the storm caused debris to fall on him as he was trying to secure a chicken house in Roopville, said Fire Chief Gary Thomas.</p><p>Elaine Cole was visiting her aunt in Carroll County when the storm struck.</p><p>"I said, 'Linda, is that a tornado?' and the next thing I knew, we were in the dining room, and it was trying to suck us through the window and pull us out," said Cole. "We were just holding on to each other to stay in place, because we couldn't make it anywhere."</p><p>On a tour of the storm's wrath, Gov. Sonny Perdue was surprised by the widespread damage in the middle Georgia town of Fort Valley.</p><p>"The damage here in Fort Valley is greater than I had feared _ certainly to residences and to trees and one business was totally demolished," he said.</p><p>He said he plans to request for emergency federal assistance to help clean up the damage.</p><p>About 5,000 Georgia Power customers were without electricity Tuesday afternoon, including 1,500 in the metro Atlanta area, a spokeswoman said. Another 5,000 customers of Georgia's electric membership cooperatives remain without power in north Georgia.</p><p>Tornadoes leveled several buildings and homes in Peach County in central Georgia, injuring four people, said Ken Davis, spokesman of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. Tornadoes also were reported in Polk and Heard counties and in the northeast Georgia city of Lula.</p><p>Back in Helen, some 30 people in the town, which is known for its Bavarian architecture, were displaced because of the storm damage, including one couple that had fled New Orleans ahead of the storm. No injuries were reported, said Police Chief Ted Ray.</p><p>"This is what all the people in the Gulf Coast are having to deal with," said Greg Ash, mayor of the town of about 600 people. "We'll come back from this, we'll clean up. Thank goodness nobody was hurt and nobody died."</p><p>Before the storm, city boosters were gearing up for the busy Labor Day holiday. After, the outlook for some looked grim.</p><p>"A lot of businesses are going to be hurt by this. Some will weather through, some won't," said Kim Smith, the city's clerk.</p><p>_____</p><p>Associated Press writers Daniel Yee in Atlanta and Dick Pettys in Greensboro, Ga., and photographer Ric Feld contributed to this report.</p>

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