GILMER COUNTY, Ga. — A powerful storm ravaged an animal shelter in Elijay on Monday. Strong winds and lightning knocked down trees and scattered debris across the area.
The storm left the Build an Arc Animal Rescue uninhabitable. Workers said it was a close call.
"I was like, flying in the air. I was that far off the ground," Susan Littlejohn told Channel 2's Linda Stouffer.
Littlejohn, two other workers and 64 animals were in the animal barn when the winds came flying through. She said she was shocked that any of them survived.
"Amazing. You look at that. Tell me anything came out alive," Littlejohn said in reference to the wreckage.
The last creature rescued at Build an Arc was Mrs. Noah, the dove.
"She was under all the rubble. I just happened to see feathers ruffle," Littlejohn said.
Around Gilmer County, there were a seemingly endless number of trees down. Some residents had theories that the storm was much more severe than reported.
"That was definitely a tornado, and it was a fast one," homeowner Johnny Sullivan told Stouffer.
WSB-TV Mrs. Noah Susan Littlejohn found Mrs. Noah, the dove, under the rubble. County Fire Chief Tony Pritchett told Stouffer he suspects there were two tornadoes or funnel clouds, "probably tornadoes."
He said the department was assessing significant damage, though no injuries were reported.
Sullivan said he left his living room for safety in the basement after the wind became alarmingly loud.
"I told my wife, ‘It's time to go,'" Sullivan said.
He said 10 to 12 seconds later, a tree came crashing through the house.
"Seconds …. We were sitting exactly where the tree came through," Sullivan said.
WSBTV
