Evening storm gets attention

Tornado warning issued for Sumter County

Carly Farrell

AMERICUS — A violent thunderstorm ripped through Sumter and Schley counties Monday evening, causing relatively low damage to the area, even though a tornado warning was issued by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City. No serious injuries were reported as a result of the storm.

Although initial reports of a tornado touching down on Church Street and between Plains and Americus and a large funnel cloud spotted over Americus, authorities could not confirm any of the accounts Tuesday afternoon. Georgia Southwestern State University’s and the City of Americus’ warning sirens sounded several times between 6:30 and 8 p.m., as well.

“We searched,” Sumter County Sheriff Pete Smith said, “but the conditions just didn’t exist.”

Smith said he’d heard a firefighter say he spotted a funnel cloud and reports of a tornado that had touched down on Church Street.

“I’m not questioning the fact that (the firefighter) didn’t see it — the weather was really bad and the right conditions existed — but we just didn’t have any concrete evidence (of a tornado.)”

The severe thunderstorm hit Americus at about 6:45 p.m. Monday, and brought with it lots of rain, which flooded several streets and roads and knocked down many tree branches and a few trees in the area.

Authorities were forced to close South Georgia Tech Parkway and Lamar Street until midnight.

“There were just so many calls,” Smith said. “We ran out of barricade and were using makeshift cones to block off water. All my guys worked really hard last night, and I’m glad to say there weren’t any real serious injuries — just a couple of accidents.”

Smith said the most exciting part of his night occurred when he met a car that had stopped in the middle of a Sumter County road. The driver and passenger were afraid to cross the water in their car, and Smith actually ended up driving the car across the water for the driver and passengers.

“(The water) was up to my knees, and the water was just rising so fast,” Smith said. “But I drove it across, and I was thinking, ‘Well, if I get stuck, I can always get out and swim!’ ”

But Smith, and the car, made it across the flooded part of the roadway.

But, Smith doesn’t encourage this type of behavior.

“One foot of moving water can move 80,000 lbs.,” Smith said. “Just turn around and seek an alternate route.”

The sheriff notified the Times-Recorder Tuesday evening that a dam on a pond was breached by flood waters Monday night behind Salem United Methodist Church, on Upper River Road in rural Sumter County.

Sumter County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Col. Eric Bryant reported that a tree on Oglethorpe Avenue fell but resulted in only minor damage to a house.

“We were lucky,” Bryant said. “Usually, weather like that causes a lot more damage.”

Bryant said that some of Easter Morning neighborhood residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure by school bus because they thought their houses might flood. But, the residents were returned to their homes early Tuesday morning; no damage was reported.

According to the National Weather Service, the local area received four inches of rain from Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon.

An Americus Times-Recorder reporter, covering the Americus Mayor and City Council’s agenda setting session Monday evening, said that when warning sirens sounded downtown, the meeting was temporarilty recessed while the reporter and the mayor, Council members and department heads moved to the basement of the Municipal Building until it was all clear.

Schley County’s storm system had more bark than bite, as well.

Schley County Sheriff Shane Tondee said he didn’t even have to close any roads in his county.

“There were a few washes, but everything’s good,” Tondee said.

A light rain still drizzled the area Tuesday morning, but road flooding had subsided. Some residents’ yards still remained under water though, and the lakes were much higher because of the storm.

Sunny skies were reported for today with a highs in the lower 60s.

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