ATLANTA — State officials confirmed Friday that two people died after a line of violent storms and tornadoes moved through Georgia.
Gov. Brian Kemp addressed the deadly tornadoes in a Friday news conference at the Georgia State Capitol.
[PHOTOS: Strong storms cause severe damage across North Georgia]
“Unfortunately, it’s been a tragic night. We know we had two fatalities. One of those is a state employee that was responding to storm damage. We will have more details later in the day and the tragic loss of a 5-year-old killed by a tree on a fallen vehicle,” Kemp said.
The 5-year-old boy died in Butts County. Another passenger inside the car was injured,
Channel 2 Action News confirmed that the state employee worked for the Georgia Department of Transportation and was killed while trying to remove a fallen tree from GA Hwy 193 in Lafayette.
The Walker County Sheriff said the tree shifted while cutting it and landed on the worker.
[READ: Students held for hours in Spalding County schools during tornado, district officials say]
State leaders took a helicopter tour Friday to assess the damage but will not go on the ground today. Kemp added that recovery efforts are underway for those who remain unaccounted for.
“We do not want to disrupt the many operations going on,” Kemp said. “We’re going to allow those folks to continue to do their work.”
RELATED STORIES
- NWS confirms at least 3 tornadoes touched down across Georgia on Thursday
- Governor declares State of Emergency after powerful storms move through North Georgia
- ‘We’re homeless right now’: Families in LaGrange lose their homes after severe storms
RELATED NEWS:
©2022 Cox Media Group
