Two months after tornado, there's much work to be done
While most of the houses on Rocky Drive are still in shambles, it's difficult to tell that a tornado damaged Zutredia Dinkins' home two months ago.
Tornado debris litters Macon two months laterWhile most of the houses on Rocky Drive are still in shambles, it's difficult to tell that a tornado damaged Zutredia Dinkins' home two months ago.
Tornado debris litters Macon two months laterTwo months after a tornado ripped through Middle Georgia, small-business owners still are trying to pick up the pieces.
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Tornado debris litters Macon two months later |
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Storm debris cleanup still far from complete |
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Cleanup from Mother's Day storms continues |
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Tree debris from storms piling up at holding sites |
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Cleaning up Lake Tobesofkee |
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Cemetery being cleaned up after storm damage |
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Thanksgiving arises from storm-damaged church in Macon |
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Volunteers fuel massive cleanup effort |
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Our photographers' best storm photos |
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Friday's storm photos |
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Thursday's storm photos |
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Westside students begin classes at Rutland |
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Wednesday's storm photos |
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Tuesday's storm photos |
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Readers' storm photos, Part II (updated Wed., 9:37 a.m.) |
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Monday's storm photos |
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Readers' storm photos, Part I (updated Tues. 11:04 a.m.) |
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Sunday's storm photos |
The upcoming closures of the last two temporary Disaster Recovery Centers, one today and the other Thursday, do not mean an end to storm victims' opportunity to apply for help, according to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which jointly operate the centers.
Bibb County officials have hired Florida-based Crowder Disaster Recovery to complete debris cleanup in the unincorporated area of the county, Commission Chairman Charlie Bishop announced Friday.
Donations to the Central Georgia Tornado Recovery Fund are approaching $100,000, with an "overwhelming outpouring from all the community," said the leader of one of the organizing agencies.
Charles and Mary Day are living in less than half their house. The huge oak tree that crashed into the side of their Minuette Court home during the Mother's Day tornadoes made sure of that.
Trees on fences. Roofs left unrepaired. Unresponsive insurance claims adjusters.
So far, nearly 4,400 people across the state have registered for assistance from the federal government because of hardships from the Mother's Day tornadoes that struck Middle Georgia, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
On a normal day, the lights turn on, the trash gets picked up, and Macon and Bibb County's streets are patrolled.
State Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine will be in Macon on Monday to discuss problems anyone has with insurance claims following the Mother's Day storm.
Property owners will be given the chance to inform the Macon-Bibb County Board of Tax Assessors of any storm damage that may affect their property's value in the new revaluation, the board decided Wednesday.
More than 2,000 Small Business Administration loan applications have been distributed in counties affected by the Mother's Day tornadoes, but only 68 of them have been turned back in, an administration spokesman said Tuesday.
Bibb County crews that have been clearing debris for the past three weeks are expected to return to normal operations Monday as the county gets closer to hiring a private contractor to finish the cleanup.
More than $617,000 in federal and state assistance has been approved in the wake of the Mother's Day tornadoes, and more than $500,000 has been paid out, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported Saturday.
Donations for a new recovery fund to help people affected by the Mother's Day storms exceeded $83,500 Friday.
Two new FEMA disaster recovery centers opened Friday in Twiggs and Johnson counties to help residents deal with storm damage and losses.
Nearly three weeks following the Mother's Day tornado, an enormous amount of debris still needs to be cleared in Macon.
Six sirens were damaged during the Mother's Day storms nearly three weeks ago, local emergency management officials told Bibb County commissioners Thursday.
Looking at the front of the Carpet Salvage store on Log Cabin Drive, it's hard to believe it's open for business.
It's been nearly three weeks since the Mother's Day tornadoes hit Middle Georgia, and long-range recovery efforts are well under way. But, in the short term, there is still plenty of debris to clean up, volunteer organizers said Wednesday.
Bibb County officials are looking to private companies to complete storm cleanup as county workers become overwhelmed with the amount of debris removal still before them weeks after the Mother's Day tornadoes.
Damage from the storms that ransacked Middle Georgia more than two weeks ago is forcing the Macon-Bibb County Board of Tax Assessors to consider expanding the scope of its new property revaluation.