Storm flips a camper, crashes tree across mobile home at Peach County RV park

What has now been confirmed as a tornado collapsed a fence, flipped a camper on its side, downed a huge pine tree across the middle of an RV, crashed another tree on top of a pickup truck and knocked out power at the Ponderosa RV Park off Ga. 96 in Peach County early Thursday.

“Probably about 6:30 this morning, the wind started blowing, and we heard like a roar go over the house, and then everything just started,” said Donna Bryant as she drove a golf cart around the property pointing out damage later that afternoon.

Silver awning ripped away by the storm could be seen wrapped around a telephone pole and in tree branches. Debris was piled up. A man was loading cut logs from downed trees into a pickup bed.

Bryant and her husband, Randy, own the RV park that’s been in his family for 53 years. They live in a house on site.

“It was a blessing that no one was hurt,” Donna Bryant said.

The owner of the overturned camper, now draped in blue tarp, had already left for work before the storm hit, as had most of the park residents, Bryant said.

The whole incident lasted five minutes as tornado sirens blared one after another across Middle Georgia when the severe storm system swept through.

The Bryants had to wait for daylight to start assessing the damage, which also included the roof of the park’s restrooms.

At about 7:15 a.m., as soon as it started getting light, Fort Valley firefighters, police officers, first responders and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials were on site, Bryant said.

Public safety crews cleared one of the roads so that people could get into the park and start cleaning up multiple downed trees, she said.

“They say it was straight line winds, but our neighbor right across from us, the way it twisted the trees, he said it was probably a tornado with straight line winds. But FEMA said it was straight line winds,” Bryant said.

What was thought to have been straight line winds early Thursday has since been confirmed as a tornado by the National Weather Service, Peach County EMA Director Ryan Roberts said late Thursday afternoon.

The tornado touched down on Lakeview Drive and traveled about a mile along Ga. 96 until U.S. 41, damaging the mobile home park, the irrigation system at Super Sod, a packing shed, homes, and vehicles in its path, Roberts said.

The tornado also overturned a tractor-trailer on Interstate 75 at Mile Marker 142 at the Ga. 96 exit, Roberts said. The driver escaped with only minor injuries, Roberts said.

No other injuries were reported, he said.

Rob Rabun, owner of All American Junk Removal in Warner Robins, was driving by when he saw the damage at the Ponderosa RV Park.

“I looked over there and saw all the debris and all the people over there working,” Rabun said. “I went home, hooked up my trailer and went out there to assist.”

Rabun helped pick up and haul away debris — all free of charge. He was among a host of other good Samaritans and neighbors who pitched in and helped with the cleanup.

“People have been coming in and helping,” said Bryant, who was grateful for the assistance.

The Ponderosa RV Park at 13841 Ga. 96 is just east of Interstate 75 near the city limits of Warner Robins.

This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 5:32 PM.