Two die when Hurricane Helene tornado flips their mobile home, Georgia officials say
Two people were killed when a tornado touched down overnight in Middle Georgia during Hurricane Helene, emergency management officials told news outlets.
A man and woman were in their Wheeler County mobile home Thursday, Sept. 26, when a twister came through the area and flipped it, Steve Adams, director of the county’s Emergency Management Agency, told WTOC.
“The trailer was taken across the highway by the tornado, hitting two vehicles, before landing in a field,” the station reported, citing Adams.
Authorities haven’t publicly identified the victims.
McClatchy News reached out to the Wheeler County Coroner’s Office on Sept. 27 and was awaiting a response.
Officials believe there were also children in the home, though they were found safe elsewhere, WMAZ reported.
“It’s ugly, ugly weather,” Adams told the station.
Gov. Brian Kemp offered his condolences in a message posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
“Marty, the girls, and I are saddened to learn of the loss of two lives in Wheeler County this evening,” he said. “As we join their families in mourning their deaths, we urge all Georgians to brace for further impact from Helene, remain vigilant, and pray for all those affected.”
The deaths in Wheeler County were two of nearly a dozen storm-related fatalities reported across the state, Kemp said during a news conference from Georgia Emergency Management Agency headquarters Sept. 27.
There were 11 confirmed deaths as of Friday, including a first responder, the governor told reporters.
“When we ask people to stay off the roads and be patient, it’s because we’re trying to get to people,” Kemp said. “It is a very dangerous environment, and one of our finest has lost his life trying to save others.”
Hurricane Helene brought intense wind, heavy rain and flooding to much of the state Thursday into Friday morning, with impacts stretching from southwest Georgia to Augusta and parts of the metro Atlanta area.
Several Georgia counties remained under Flash Flood Warnings as of Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
Wheeler County is about a 90-mile drive southeast from Macon.