5/11/08 DISC: GA/SC/NC/VA

[John Peters]

Several tornadoes have been rated already, including three EF-3s in Georgia. Ratings thus far can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2008_tornado_outbreak_sequence

If there were a candidate for an EF-4 Rating on May 11, this is it:

000
NOUS42 KCHS 130224
PNSCHS
GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>051-142200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
1025 PM EDT MON MAY 12 2008

...PRELIMINARY INFORMATION FOR THE MCINTOSH COUNTY TORNADO ON SUNDAY
MORNING MAY 11TH...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT TEAM HAS SURVEYED THE
AREA OF MCINTOSH COUNTY NORTHWEST TO NORTHEAST OF DARIEN. AS A
RESULT...A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT HAS BEEN MADE ON THIS TORNADO.

A TORNADO FORMED AT 956 AM...3 MILES NORTHWEST OF DARIEN AND TRACKED
EAST 5.5 MILES TO ABOUT 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF DARIEN IN THE VICINITY
OF HIRD ISLAND AT 1003 AM.

THIS TORNADO DESTROYED A MARINE SALES AND SERVICES BUSINESS. ALL
THAT WAS LEFT OF THIS METAL BUILDING WAS A CONCRETE SLAB. ABOUT 50
BOATS WERE TOSSED AROUND AND DESTROYED...WITH ONE 18 FOOT 4000 POUND
BOAT CARRIED ABOUT 650 YARDS INTO SOME TREES. A 32 FOOT 8000 POUND
BOAT WAS CARRIED ABOUT 130 YARDS ONTO THE TOP OF THE GATEWAY
BEHAVIORAL SERVICES BUILDING. A SECOND SMALLER BOAT WAS ALSO
CARRIED INTO THE BUILDING. A VEHICLE THAT WAS PARKED IN THE PARKING
LOT WAS CARRIED IN THE AIR 150 YARDS. ONE 125 HP BOAT MOTOR WEIGHING
300 TO 350 POUNDS WAS CARRIED 250 YARDS AND DEPOSITED INTO THE ROOF
OF A BUILDING. AT THIS TIME...ONE OF THE BOATS HAS NOT BEEN
ACCOUNTED FOR. SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES NEAR THIS BUSINESS WERE ROLLED
OR TOSSED AND SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING
AND ALL THE BOATS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 5 MILLION DOLLARS.

THE GATEWAY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND SERVICES BUILDING WAS TOTALLY
DESTROYED. THE ROOF COLLAPSED ALONG WITH MANY OF THE OUTER BRICK
WALLS. PORTIONS OF THE METAL ROOF WERE CARRIED MORE THAN A MILE AWAY
WITH SOME OF IT LANDING ON INTERSTATE 95. OF THE 40 PEOPLE THAT WERE
IN THE BUILDING WHEN THE TORNADO HIT...9 WERE INJURED SUSTAINING
BROKEN BONES AND/OR LACERATIONS. SIX VEHICLES AROUND THIS BUILDING
WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED AND A METAL LIGHT POLE WAS SNAPPED OFF.

THE MCINTOSH EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES METAL BUILDING WAS DESTROYED
BY THE TORNADO WITH DAMAGE TO THREE AMBULANCES AND ONE FIRE TRUCK.

TWO OTHER BUSINESSES IN THIS AREA SUFFERED DAMAGE...INCLUDING DAMAGE
TO SATELLITE DISHES AND TWO OVERTURNED TRACTOR TRAILERS.

IN OTHER AREAS ALONG THE TORNADO PATH THE TORNADO DAMAGED OR
DESTROYED FOUR BILLBOARDS ALONG INTERSTATE 95...PRODUCED MAINLY
MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO SEVERAL DOZEN HOMES...SNAPPED OFF OR UPROOTED
THOUSANDS OF TREES...SOME OF THEM FALLING ON HOMES OR VEHICLES AND
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED NUMEROUS OUTBUILDINGS.

NEAR THE END OF THE PATH...THE TORNADO DAMAGED THE BLUE-N-HALL
MARINA AND FISHING DOCK. IN THIS AREA...A LARGE BOAT HOIST ALONG WITH
18 BOATS AND SEVERAL BOAT TRAILERS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
SEVERAL POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED OFF AND SEVERAL VEHICLES WERE
DAMAGED.

THE MAXIMUM WIDTH OF THIS TORNADO WAS 700 YARDS WHEN IT CROSSED
INTERSTATE 95. THIS TORNADO WILL POTENTIALLY BE RATED EF3 OR GREATER
BASED ON THE DAMAGE TO MARINE SALES AND SERVICES BUSINESS AND THE
GATEWAY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND SERVICES BUILDING. ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION WILL BE FORTHCOMING AS THE DAMAGE IS EVALUATED FURTHER.

$$

MTE/DB

Thank god nobody was killed

 

[Erik Perozo]

Just to add to what John has talked about. I spoke with my buddy who works for the NWS in Charleston and actually was on the storm survey. He told me tonight that it will 90% more likely get an EF-4 rating. He said Eastern Headquarters already passed on it. They are just waiting for the report from EMA on one of the building specs that got hit the hardest to see if it was built to with stand EF-4 winds. He showed me a few pics but I didn't want to post any of them because I don't know if the NWS would like that very much. From the pics yeah looks pretty bad. In one of the pics it showed a medical building that was severely damaged where 19 people were located and no one was killed. Thank God no one was

 

[John Peters]

Just to add to what John has talked about. I spoke with my buddy who works for the NWS in Charleston and actually was on the storm survey. He told me tonight that it will 90% more likely get an EF-4 rating. He said Eastern Headquarters already passed on it. They are just waiting for the report from EMA on one of the building specs that got hit the hardest to see if it was built to with stand EF-4 winds. He showed me a few pics but I didn't want to post any of them because I don't know if the NWS would like that very much. From the pics yeah looks pretty bad. In one of the pics it showed a medical building that was severely damaged where 19 people were located and no one was killed. Thank God no one was

Thanks for the info Erik. Yes, it is certainly amazing that nobody was seriously injured in this tornado. Based on the description alone, it sounds like all hell broke loose for those 5.5 miles the funnel was on the ground.

 

[Sam Sagnella]

[FONT=lucida sans typewriter, lucida console, courier]PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
220 PM EDT WED MAY 14 2008

..MCINTOSH COUNTY GEORGIA TORNADO RATED A VIOLENT EF-4

A SURVEY TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN CHARLESTON
SOUTH CAROLINA ALONG WITH OTHER DAMAGE SURVEY EXPERTS FROM ACROSS
THE COUNTRY HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE TORNADO THAT STRUCK MCINTOSH
COUNTY GEORGIA SUNDAY MORNING MAY 11TH WAS A VIOLENT EF-4. THE
TORNADO BEGINNING AND END TIMES ARE BASED ON RADAR DATA COMBINED
WITH CREDIBLE GROUND TRUTH REPORTS. [/FONT]

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KCHS/0805141818.nous42.html