Photos of Atlanta tornado
March 15, 2008 at 2:01 am by Andisheh Nouraee in NewsCNN reports the powerful storm that whacked Atlanta on Friday night included a tornado.
Here’s Jackson Street, near King Memorial MARTA station, just after the storm.
I posted several more photos to CL’s Flickr group pool.
Based on my drive around town this morning, the most intense part of the storm appears to have travelled west-to-east, from Vine City, to the Georgia Dome and Georgia World Congress Center complex, across the Downtown business district, across the Downtown Connector, into Sweet Auburn, Old Fourth Ward, Cabbagetown, and the parts of Grant Park north of I-20.
The map to the right shows what appeared, to me, to be the storm’s path. I’m not a meteorologist. The map is based on damage I saw, and damage I saw reported on television.
Each red X indicates a downed tree, power line, or severely damaged structure that I saw myself. There are no X’s in the middle of Downtown because I couldn’t get there. Police blocked the roads.
The shaded part of the map is where damage and debris seemed most prevalent. There was no electricity in much of Atlanta this morning, especially west of Downtown, so I’m sure I missed a lot.
I apologize for typos and/or sloppy writing. It’s 3:00 A.M. and I’m exhausted.
UPDATE: Photos of the tornado’s destruction are showing up on Flickr this morning. Click here for the most recent photos tagged “Atlanta tornado”
UPDATE 2 (12:31 P.M., Sat. March 15): Of the nearly 600 photos tagged “Atlanta” and “tornado” on Flickr so far, not one seems to have been taken west of the Georgia Dome. I drove around Vine City before sunrise and the damage there looked every bit as bad as it appears to be in Cabbagetown. Unless you and yours neighbors have digital cameras and broadband, I guess your neighborhood won’t show up on Flickr.
March 15th, 2008 at 7:51 am
I live just south of I-20. Shortly after 10pm the sound of the storm picked up to the point where the wind began to sound like a freight train.
It occurs to me that I get my radio from Sirius, my television is from TIVO, and my news is from the internet, largely from non-atlanta sources. This is exactly the kind of thing that ten years ago, I might have had a bit of warning.
Interesting, while the electronic media was still gearing up to cover what was going on, the best source for me was
http://www.scanfulton.com.
March 15th, 2008 at 11:43 am
@Jim V. I met up with some friends on N. Highland around midnight, and no one in the bar had any clue that a tornado hit downtown.
@Andisheh. Great work, bud. Any idea if the office was affected?
March 15th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I haven’t been by the office.
March 15th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
this post is why you get paid to do this and i am a volunteer. nice work….
March 15th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Guys, 88.5 has been off air since a little after midnight last night. There’s an official notice on GSU’s homepage:
March 16th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I can’t believe I’ve been out of town for all of this. If I hadn’t been it’s very likely I would have been in Cabbagetown. Scary.
Really hope everyone is okay.
Promise I’m on the way home Atlanta!
@Alejandro & rest: Anyone else amused that Georgia State spelled “Recreation” incorrectly? ;)
GSU Update from this morning: Georgia State University is expected to be open for business as usual on Monday, March 17.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Thanks for being one of many local news outlets to completely ignore the damage in East Atlanta. Not only has there been no media coverage, but the Governor’s office and GEMA refuse to acknowledge that the tornado crossed Memorial into Dekalb Ave. Adding insult to injury, my neighbors in need are being completely ignored by the Red Cross and Salvation Army as well, since there’s no published evidence that we actually need their help.
The tornado lifted at the corner of Braeburn Circle and Josephine Ave in East Atlanta, if you’d like to correct your map.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Correction: I meant “the tornado crossed Memorial into Dekalb Co.” not Dekalb Ave.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Kara-
Photos of destruction in East Atlanta have been on our Flickr page since Saturday.
An updated map, including East Atlanta was posted to our Flickr group on Sunday.
The map above is of things I saw myself hours after the storm. I make that clear in the text.
Andy
October 9th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
[...] When a tornado ripped through downtown Atlanta and the city’s eastern neighborhoods last March, homes, businesses and local landmarks buckled under its fierce wallop. Oakland Cemetery sat directly in the storm’s path of destruction: Tress were uprooted, headstones overturned and pathways destroyed. Local artist/gardener Cooper Sanchez got in on the recovery effort at the historic site, and has spent the last year helping clean up and restore the cemetery grounds. He’s also spent the last year finding inspiration in the landmark’s history, architecture and foliage for a new body of work. [...]