April 1 tornado caused most damage in Houston County since 1994 flood

A tornado that hit Houston County on April 1 caused nearly $14 million in damages in the county, more than any storm since the Flood of '94.

Jimmy Williams, director of the Houston County Emergency Management Agency, said the tornado is estimated to have caused nearly $9 million in damage to homes and commercial buildings countywide. The figure does not include the $4.8 million in estimated damage at Robins Air Force Base, where the storm's winds reached 70 to 90 mph.

Williams said that's the most expensive damage by a storm in Houston County since the flood, which crippled parts of the midstate.

Col. Jeff King, the installation commander at Robins, said the roofs of 12 buildings were damaged in the storm earlier this month. The base also had significant flooding and power outages.

"We are doing what we can to restore capability as quickly as possible," King said this week.

Williams said the damage outside the base occurred in Warner Robins, Centerville and unincorporated areas of the county. The damage was estimated by officials in the Houston County Tax Assessors Office, which went from house to house in their survey.

Williams said it's an accurate estimate but does not include the cost of cleanup, which he called substantial. That estimate will be calculated later.

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 7:23 PM with the headline "April 1 tornado caused most damage in Houston County since 1994 flood ."