PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 400 PM EST MON MAR 12 2007 ...PRELIMINARY DAMAGE REPORT FOR 1 MARCH 2007 TORNADO OUTBREAK... AT LEAST 14 TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN IN CENTRAL GEORGIA ON 1 MARCH 2007. THREE FATALITIES WERE REPORTED IN THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE PEACHTREE CITY WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE. PRELIMINARY DAMAGE SURVEYS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED BY SIX NWS TEAMS FROM PEACHTREE CITY. THE PRELIMINARY REPORTS FOLLOW: TORNADO 1... IN STEWART COUNTY...BEGAN ON SOUTHWEST SIDE OF RICHLAND AND ENDED 1 MILE NORTHEAST OF RICHLAND. RATED EF1. PATH LENGTH APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES AND MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 250 YARDS. HEAVIEST DAMAGE IN THE CITY OF RICHLAND WITH AROUND 50 HOMES AND BUSINESSES AFFECTED. AN EXTERIOR BRICK WALL OF A STORE COLLAPSED AT THE CORNER OF BROAD AND HARRIS STREETS. THE BUILDING WAS DECLARED UNSAFE AND DEMOLISHED. HARMONY PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCH BUILT IN 1838 AT THE INTERSECTION OF HARMONY AND PONDER STREETS WAS DESTROYED. ONLY TWO WALLS WERE LEFT STANDING. A TRACTOR TRAILER AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAYS 520 AND 280 WAS LIFTED AND DROPPED CAUSING THE TRAILER TO COLLAPSE IN THE CENTER. TORNADO 2... IN TAYLOR COUNTY...FROM 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF POTTERVILLE TO 2 MILES EAST OF REYNOLDS. RATED EF2. LENGTH APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES AND MAXIMUM WIDTH OF A QUARTER MILE. HEAVIEST DAMAGE WAS SOUTHWEST OF POTTERVILLE WHERE AT LEAST TWO MOBILE HOMES WERE DESTROYED...AND NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONE DEATH AND FOUR INJURIES OCCURRED WITH THIS STORM. TORNADO 3... IN CRAWFORD COUNTY AND INTO BIBB COUNTY...BEGAN ABOUT 4 MILES EAST OF KNOXVILLE AND ENDED ABOUT 1 MILE EAST SOUTHEAST OF LIZELLA. RATED EF3. LENGTH APPROXIMATELY 8.5 MILES AND MAXIMUM WIDTH OF A QUARTER MILE. HEAVIEST DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG SANDY POINT ROAD WHERE SEVERAL HOMES AND OUTBUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED...AND NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. THERE WERE NINE INJURIES. TORNADO 4... IN MUSCOGEE COUNTY...IN THE NORTH COLUMBUS METRO AREA. BEGAN NEAR GREEN ISLAND HILLS ON LAKE OLIVER AND ENDED 3 MILES WEST OF MIDLAND. RATED EF2. PATH LENGTH 7 MILES AND MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 300 YARDS. HEAVIEST DAMAGE IN THE 6200 BLOCK OF BROOKSTONE BLVD JUST NORTH OF U.S. 80 IN NORTHWEST PART OF COLUMBUS. TORNADO 5...UPDATED TRACKED ACROSS WEBSTER...SUMTER...AND MACON COUNTIES...FROM CHAMBLISS TO ABOUT 17 MILES NORTHEAST OF AMERICUS. RATED EF3. PATH LENGTH APPROXIMATELY 38 MILES AND MAXIMUM WIDTH OF ONE MILE IN AMERICUS. HEAVIEST DAMAGE WAS IN THE CITY OF AMERICUS AROUND THE SUMTER REGIONAL HOSPITAL. THE HOSPITAL WAS EVACUATED AND IS NOT BEING USED. HUNDREDS OF HOMES...BUSINESSES AND VEHICLES WERE AFFECTED WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OR TOTALLY DESTROYED. TWO CONFIRMED DEATHS AND NUMEROUS INJURIES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM IN AMERICUS. THREE INJURIES ALSO OCCURRED NORTHEAST OF CHAMBLISS ON EAST CENTERPOINT ROAD WHEN A CONCRETE BLOCK HOUSE AND TWO MACHINE SHOPS WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED. THE ROAD IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE HAD 25 FEET OF ASPHALT RIPPED OUT. FIVE COWS WERE KILLED IN THE SAME AREA. A TRACTOR TRAILER WAS OVERTURNED AND BURNED AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 520 AND TV TOWER ROAD IN SOUTH WEBSTER COUNTY. ONE PERSON WAS INJURED. THE 1096 FOOT GEORGIA PUBLIC TELEVISION TOWER IN THE SAME AREA WAS SNAPPED OFF WITH ONLY 150 FEET STILL STANDING. TORNADO 6... IN JONES COUNTY...FROM 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF GRISWOLDVILLE TO 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JAMES. RATED EF1. PATH LENGTH 4.5 MILES AND MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 150 YARDS. HEAVIEST DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG HIGHWAY 49. TORNADO 7... IN WARREN COUNTY...FROM 4 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF WARRENTON TO 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF THOMSON. RATED EF2. THE DAMAGE PATH TRACKED ALONG HIGHWAY 12 INTO THOMSON...THEN HIGHWAY 105 TO INTERSTATE 20. LENGTH 15 MILES AND MAXIMUM WIDTH ONE QUARTER MILE WIDE. THREE INJURIES OCCURRED WITH THIS TORNADO. TORNADO 8... IN BIBB COUNTY FROM 6.5 MILES WEST OF PAYNE TO NEAR ZEBULON ROAD AND INTERSTATE 475. RATED EF0. TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT 3 MILES WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 100 YARDS. DAMAGE WAS LIGHT AND CONFINED TO BUSINESS SIGNS AND SOME MINOR ROOF DAMAGE IN LAKE WILDWOOD SUBDIVISION. TORNADO 9... IN WILKINSON COUNTY...FROM 4.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NICKLESVILLE TO 9 MILES NORTHEAST OF NICKELSVILLE. RATED EF2. PATH LENGTH 13.5 MILES AND MAXIMUM WIDTH OF A HALF MILE. MOST DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 112. TORNADO 10... IN CRAWFORD COUNTY...FROM 4.5 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF HORNS TO 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF BYRON. RATED EF1. INTERMITTENT DAMAGE ALONG A LENGTH OF 12 MILES...WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 100 YARDS. NUMEROUS TREES DOWN...SEVERAL OUT BUILDINGS DAMAGED OR DESTROYED...AND SOME MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO HOUSES. TORNADO 11... IN BLECKLEY COUNTY...2 MILES NORTH OF CARY OR 10 MILES NORTH OF COCHRAN ON EMERGENCY ROAD 266. RATED EF0 WITH A PATH 1/4 MILE WIDE AND 1 MILE LONG. SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED...SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN... AND THREE HOMES WITH MODERATE ROOF DAMAGE AND PATIO COVERS DESTROYED. TORNADO 12... IN TALBOT COUNTY...FROM 7.5 MILES WEST OF TALBOTTON TO 4 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF TALBOTTON. RATED EF1 WITH A PATH LENGTH 4.5 MILES. MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 100 YARDS. MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO HOMES. 1 MOBILE HOME AND 4 OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED. FEED STORE AND BARN DAMAGED ...OUTBUILDING DESTROYED...WRAPAROUND PORCH DESTROYED ON HOME ON POWELL CHURCH ROAD. NUMEROUS TREES DOWNED. TORNADO 13... IN JONES COUNTY...A SECOND TORNADO OCCURRED IN THE COUNTY 3 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF HADDOCK. RATED EF0 WITH A PATH LENGTH OF 100 YARDS AND MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 50 YARDS. APPROXIMATELY 2 DOZEN TREES WERE KNOCKED DOWN. NO STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED. THIS TORNADO WAS SPAWNED FROM THE SAME STORM THAT PRODUCED TORNADO 6 IN THIS REPORT BUT WAS SEPARATED BY SUFFICIENT PERIOD OF NO TORNADO DAMAGE TO BE CLASSIFIED AS A SEPARATE TORNADO. TORNADO 14... IN MARION COUNTY...FROM 3 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF OAKLAND TO 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF OAKLAND. RATED EF1 WITH A PATH APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES LONG AND 100 YARDS WIDE. THE TORNADO NEARLY PARALLELED FORT PERRY ROAD. NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED AND A FEW UPROOTED. A BARN WAS DESTROYED...AND ANOTHER HAD METAL SHEETING STRIPPED OFF THE ROOF. A MOBILE HOME WAS SHIFTED OFF ITS FOUNDATION. SEVERAL FENCES WERE DAMAGED AND A PORCH LOST ITS ROOF.