Man Saved From Rubble After Days Of Being Trapped

RINGGOLD, Ga.,None — Crews in Catoosa County rescued a man Friday night who had been trapped in rubble from the storms since Wednesday.

Businesses and homes in Ringgold were completely obliterated by the fierce storms. The damage is so bad police are still keeping most people back from the rubble.

In the same neighborhood where one man was rescued, another family was preparing to bury four loved ones.

"We're just here right now marking off some graves for some of the victims of the tragedy, the storm that hit, the tornado," said Joe McEntire with New Friendship Baptist Church. "They were very sweet people. They had big hearts. They were a big part of our community."

Chelsa Black, 16, Cody Black, 21, Pam Black, 46, and Chris Black, 47, were all killed when their house was destroyed by the storms Wednesday night.

In front of the New Friendship Baptist Church, a check point was set up limiting access to one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods.

The whole City of Ringold has also been restricted for safety.

"We are allowing some of the businesses and residents to go into the areas. They have to be checked out and validated," Keith Greene with the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners said. "We're just making sure the homes are structurally sound. The businesses are structurally sound."

Channel 2's George Howell witnessed the destruction firsthand and said it's amazing to find some structures still intact and then feet away are trees snapped at the base.

Investigators said there is so much damage they are still doing a detailed search to find people who are unaccounted for.

"We're now in the rescue mode at a residence in our county where we have found entrapment, and we've got a gentleman, since the storm, who's been trapped in his home. And if a family member had not called for a safety check, we wouldn't have realized he was there," Sheriff Phil Summers said.

Crews had to use a helicopter to pull the man to safety.

Saturday morning, police were planning to tour one of the hardest-hit restricted areas.

WSBTV