AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Tornadoes are being blamed for damage in at least three CSRA counties Saturday, which prompted warnings across the region as severe weather spread west of Hurricane Isaias.
The storms caused damage in Allendale, Screven and Burke counties.
On Story Mill Road in Burke County, at least four buildings were destroyed by an apparent tornado.
Owner Wesley Bailey was in disbelief. Fortunately, he didn’t live there.
He had spoken earlier in the day about the threat of a tornado.
“I kept telling my wife, ‘It’s air circulation,’” Bailey said. “I see the clouds moving in circles.”
The rain began to lash in different directions.
“All you can see is the wind, the rain going one way and the other,” he said.
“And then you almost couldn’t see it, the funnel. But you could hear the rain, hear it roar.”
Then a co-worker called with the news: “A tornado hit your house. »
Bailey farms the property on Story Mill Road, about halfway between Hephzibah and Waynesboro, but no one had lived there until recently.
PHOTO GALLERY: BURKE COUNTY FARM SEES MAJOR DAMAGE
“No one has lived here since the hurricane,” he said.
He was preparing to start working on buildings again.
News 12 drone video taken at the scene shows at least four buildings damaged or destroyed. Two of them were missing parts of their roofs. One of them had one side torn off. A fourth was flattened.
One of the houses was made of concrete blocks, but it was still torn to shreds.
Trucks and trailers were overturned.
Authorities say no injuries were reported in Burke County.
“I’m glad no one was hurt. That’s the main thing,” Bailey said. “All of this can be cleaned and replaced, but it may take time. »
Storms remind us how powerful nature can be.
“You should never underestimate wind, rain or water,” Bailey said.
Elsewhere in the CSRA
The destruction of Story Mill Road was part of a larger outbreak of severe weather resulting from the remnants of Hurricane Isaias.
The storms caused damage in Allendale and Screven counties and triggered a series of tornado warnings, with the last one expiring around 7:30 p.m.
In Allendale County, a tornado was confirmed at 4:18 p.m., five miles south of Appleton, moving north at 30 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The storm eventually moved toward Barnwell County.
Earlier, this same storm also spawned a tornado in Screven County, where damage was confirmed. Trees were reported along a 200-yard path near Old Savannah Highway and Highway 21.
Viewers sent News 12 video of a classic tornado sweeping through the area:
The damage came following a series of tornado warnings issued during a volatile afternoon and evening in the CSRA.
The last expired at 7:30 p.m. for Aiken and Saluda counties, caused by a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado near Ridge Spring and Batesburg-Leesville.
It was the second tornado warning reported by radar for the same area in a matter of hours. The previous warning came after the New Holland area saw a confirmed tornado on the ground.
Screven County also received a second tornado warning of the day, where a warning was in effect until 6:30 a.m. This warning may have expired.
Tornado warnings
- A tornado warning was in effect for parts of northwest Lexington County, eastern Saluda County and north-central Aiken County in central South Carolina. The National Weather Service of Columbia issued the warning at 7:02 p.m. and it remained in effect until 7:30 p.m. As of 7:02 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Ridge Spring or near Batesburg-Leesville, moving north at 25 mph.
- A tornado warning was in effect until 6:45 p.m. for parts of west-central Lexington County and southeast Saluda County as a strong rotating storm moves north through the region. At 6:37 p.m., the National Weather Service said a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Batesburg-Leesville, moving north at 30 mph.
- A tornado warning was in effect until 6:30 p.m. for parts of Bulloch and Screven counties. At 5:57 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Leefield, moving northeast at 20 mph.
- A tornado warning was in effect until 6:30 p.m. for central Aiken County. The Columbia National Weather Service said that at 5:38 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Aiken State Park, about 15 miles east of the Aiken Mall, moving north at 30 mph.
- A tornado warning was in effect for northern Barnwell County until 5:45 p.m. At 5:33 p.m., a confirmed tornado was located over Williston, 14 miles north of Barnwell, moving north at a speed of 25 miles per hour.
- A tornado warning was in effect until 4:45 p.m. for Screven and Allendale counties. At 3:51 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located approximately 9 miles south of Burtons Ferry Landing, moving north at 25 mph.
- A tornado warning was in effect until 5:45 p.m. for east-central Burke County. At approximately 3:48 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado occurred near Waynesboro, moving northeast at 25 mph.
Continuation of Isaiah
Meteorologists say these storms were part of a broader phenomenon of severe weather. Hurricane Isaias, which swept ashore near Destin on Friday and has since weakened to become a post-tropical system.
Even as Isaias moves inland, the storm’s outer bands continue to fuel dangerous thunderstorms, heavy rain and isolated tornadoes in parts of the Southeast, including Georgia and South Carolina.
Forecasters warn that the risk of flash flooding, damaging winds and additional tornadoes could continue through the weekend as the remnants of Isaias track toward the Tennessee Valley and mid-Atlantic.
Brett Buffington, Riley Hale, Emily Acton, Chris Still, Malik Bryant, Steve Byerly and other members of the News 12 team contributed to this report.
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