Tornado activity left a trail of devastation across North Georgia Wednesday.
Cedartown native Phillip Cooper and his wife Trish spent Wednesday night at a Red Cross shelter in Adairsville that was set up in a gymnasium.
Cooper was working as a welder at the Japanese owned Daeki plant in Adairsville. The plant was totally destroyed as was the Relax Inn where the Coopers were staying.
One Adairsville resident, 51-year-old Anthony Raines was killed when a tree fell on top of his mobile home, crushing him. Many others were injured, some in critical condition.
Homes, outbuildings and businesses were flattened and more than 100 cars were tossed around in the air before being sent crashing back to the ground.
The tornadoes that struck Northwest Georgia on Wednesday caused an estimated $75 million in insured losses according to Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens
“That figure will rise as new claims are reported,” Hudgens said. “Damage to the Daeki Corporation manufacturing plant in Adairsville was quite extensive.”
Hudgens reminds Georgians that they can call his Consumer Services Division at 404-656-2070 or, outside the Metro area, 1-800-656-2298, if they have questions about a claim, or if they are experiencing difficulty reaching their insurance company. Phone lines are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The National Weather Service rated the tornado as a high-end EF3 and reported the peak wind at 160 mph with a path length of 21.8 miles and a width of 900 yards.
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