Power Outage in Orchard Hill, GA

The Spalding County 911 Center reported that two trees were down on the east side of Griffin. One tree fell on a home causing damage to the structure. The other tree fell on a power line.

The public reported that a downburst or microburst caused extensive damage to trees and power lines from the south side of Griffin, near the Spalding Regional Medical Center, to the southern border of the county east of Orchard Hill. The most significant damage was noted along Maple Drive, East College Street, and Macon Road heading south toward Orchard Hill. More than 200 trees and power lines were down along the roads blocking the roadways. Trees were also down in several residential neighborhoods in these areas as well. Some minor structural damage was reported from downed trees. Power was out for several hours to as many as 4000 people in the area.

The Spalding County 911 Center reported that a couple of power lines were down in the county.

The Spalding County Emergency Management Director reported that several trees were down in scattered areas, mainly in the eastern portion of the county from the north side of Griffin southward. Trees were along Georgia Highway 3 and Macon Road in the north end of the county, on U.S. Highway 19/41 in the Griffin area, and on MLK Boulevard. Power lines were also down along U.S. Highway 19/41.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service concluded that an F1 tornado had touched down in a rural area of southeast Spalding county approximately five miles north of Orchard Hill in the vicinity of Wild Plum and McDonough Roads. The tornado continued north from this location for approximately one mile. The overall tornado path was one mile long and 100 yards wide. One small home was completely destroyed and another nearby brick home under construction suffered major damage. A sport utility vehicle was also damaged at this home when the garage collapsed. Two people in the small home were injured during the tornado. A few other homes nearby sustained minor damage. A number of trees and some power lines were also down in the area. A horse trailer was thrown about 200 yards from its original location.