Trees and power lines down, debris reported following likely tornado in Milledgeville
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) - Baldwin County leaders are preparing to declare a state of emergency following a suspected tornado Sunday morning.
No injuries or fatalities have been reported.
The Milledgeville Police Department says trees, power lines, and debris are on the roads in multiple areas, saying most of the damage is from the area of MLK/Glynn Street (YDC & Hospital area) east on MLK to Graham Homes and Barrows Ferry Road area. All of MLK between North Columbia Street and North Jefferson Street remains closed.
Law enforcement is asking everyone to stay off the roads so they can respond to those areas and check on those impacted by the storm. They are also advising people to avoid calling 911 about power outages.
Significant damage is being reported to the transmission line near the YDC campus. Baldwin County Commissioners say they have reports of six structures down. The outages are also impacting Hancock County.
County leaders also confirm the hospital has suffered damage to its third flood. They are diverting all intensive care patients.
Atrium Health Baldwin officials released the following statement following the damage report:
“At approximately 7:40 am, Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin did receive damage by the severe weather. Patients, visitors, and teammates were sheltered safely during the storm. The hospital is currently running on backup power, which allows us to safely care for all in the facility.”
A tornado warning was issued for the area hit hardest around 7:45 a.m. Sunday. Radar imagery suggests a tornado touched down. Evidence of debris was visible on the radar when the storm moved through.
Widespread heavy rain has also resulted in flood concerns. Georgia Power has opened three flood gates at Lake Sinclair. This will lead to a rapid rise along the Oconee River south of the Lake Sinclair dam.
This is a developing story. Follow WGXA News on-air and online for updates.
