GEORGIA – Police officers come across strange objects, which create road hazards. But a house blocking the roadway might be at the top of the list.
A county road in Upson County, Georgia resembles a scene out of a movie after a tornado dropped the home in traffic as a deadly storm wreaked havoc on the region.
It was not immediately clear if anyone was in the house at the time of the storm or if anyone was injured.
Photos from the scene show the house, mostly intact, sitting in the middle of Highway 74 about 45 miles west of Macon.
In Murray County, fire chief Dewayne Bain told FOX5 that the storms claimed the lives of at least five people in Chatsworth.
Most of the damage was focused around two mobile home parks, where paramedics transported at least 23 people to the hospital, according to Bain.
Officials told FOX5 that at least four people remain unaccounted for in Chatsworth.
In Cartersville, officials said a 34-year-old man died after a large tree fell into the back of his home.
One couple told FOX5 that the storms that struck Monday morning were unlike anything they had ever experienced in the 47 years they’ve lived there.
In addition to heavy rain, the morning storms brought damaging winds and hail, which toppled trees and scattered debris along roadways. More than 150,000 people across the state were left without power, according to Georgia Power. Restoration times vary across areas.
Gov. Brian Kemp offered his condolences Monday morning to those impacted by the severe storms.
“This morning, several communities are grappling with serious storm damage, and I ask everyone to lift them up in prayer. Our hearts go out to the loved ones and friends of those we lost,” the governor tweeted.
This morning, several communities are grappling with serious storm damage, and I ask everyone to lift them up in prayer. Our hearts go out to the loved ones and friends of those we lost. https://t.co/OwH58G8DkZ
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) April 13, 2020
At least 19 people were killed throughout the South as the storm system brought dozens of reported tornadoes, storm winds, large hail, and heavy rains, FOX News reported.
“We’ve had over 50 reports of tornadoes over parts of the South and the Gulf Coast,” Fox News Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean said. “The Storm Prediction Center said this is the area that’s going to potentially see the damage, including tornadoes, long-lasting, catastrophic tornadoes and now we are getting reports of many deaths.”
Dean said Monday, as a cold front sweeps across the eastern U.S., that conditions will improve by Monday night, but the threat of severe weather remains for parts of Georgia, Florida, and up toward the Carolinas into Virginia.
The storm system is also bringing the threat of fierce winds to the Northeast, the epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak, where the medical response has included tents that forecasters warn “could be damaged” by the high winds.
“So, the next several hours are going to be critical,” she said on “Fox & Friends.” “These storms are going to weaken, thankfully, but we still have many hours to go.”
