Sunday, May 11, 2008

Authorities said one person is dead after severe
storms cut a swath through Georgia, downing trees and damaging
homes and businesses in at least 19 counties.
   

Lisa Janak with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency said
other minor injuries have been reported after this morning's
storms. Laurens County Administrator Bryan Rogers said authorities
have not yet identified the fatality, who was found in the rubble
of a mobile home in Dublin.
   

Janak said another person found in the mobile home has been
hospitalized in critical condition. Both state and local officials
had originally reported that person as dead.Rogers says two children were also found in the wreckage but they were unharmed.
   

Governor Perdue signed an executive order this afternoon
declaring a state of emergency in six counties affected by the
storms -- Bibb, Carroll, Douglas, Jefferson, Johnson and Laurens.
It allows state resources to be available for response and recovery
activities.
   

The violent storm system that ripped through Georgia on Mother's
Day left at least 21 people dead and hundreds more injured in
Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri yesterday as it tore across the
middle of the country.
   

Weather officials have not yet confirmed if any of the Georgia
storms produced tornadoes. Brian Lynn with the weather National
Weather Service station in Peachtree City said teams were preparing
this morning to survey the damage and determine whether twisters
hit the state.

Georgia Power officials said as of this afternoon, at least
72,000 residents were without electricity across the state, mostly
concentrated in the metro Atlanta area and the Macon area.
   
    (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)