CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga.,None — An EF1 tornado touched down in Cherokee County amid Labor Days severe storms, according to the National Weather Service.
Channel 2s Ross Cavitt attended the NWS news conference in Canton on Tuesday. Officials said 400 structures were damaged, but that number is likely to rise as assessments continue. One storm-related minor injury was reported.
Ball Ground was a particularly hard-hit area of the county. Twisters ripped off siding and shingles and sent trees crashing through roofs. Channel 2s Tom Regan went to a hardware business ripped apart by the winds, where the owner was cleaning up the mess.
It basically just raked the building, owner Scott Lawson told Regan.
In addition to water damage, the roof was peeled off and pieces of wood littered the inside the building. Fortunately, the store was closed for the holiday.
It was the fifth tornado in the county in four years. Storm experts called its at least 24-mile path highly unusual, saying tropical-based tornadoes typically spin up quickly and last no more than 10 minutes. NWS officials said theres no explanation for it other than blaming the luck of the draw.
State Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens is giving insurance companies 48 hours to assess the destruction before issuing a damage estimate. He said Monday's storms were another in a string of weather events that have pushed Georgia insurance rates higher, even as property values go down.
On Lexington Avenue in Woodstock, the cost for the crane to remove a giant tree that sliced through a roof averages $800.
"About every two to five years we have major storms like this, so it's kind of a routine thing," said crane operator Nathan Parham.
Hudgens estimates the average premium increase during his term ranges from 8 percent to 10 percent. He said advocating for storm victims sometimes means letting their carriers charge more.
"Our job is to make sure they are not insolvent, that they do have adequate funding to pay the claims," said Hudgens.
WSBTV
