LAGRANGE, Ga. — Officials in LaGrange and Troup County provided an update for citizens Friday afternoon following the damage brought by tornadoes the day prior.
The officials, including LaGrange City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Mark Mitchell and Troup County EMA Director Zac Steele, provided outlines of efforts to get tarps to residents with roof damage, set up a Red Cross temporary shelter and provided details on a prayer vigil.
Here's a breakdown of the information residents in the area will want to know:
LaGrange and Troup County tornado response details
- The Red Cross has a temporary shelter available at Faith Baptist Church at 552 Hammett Rd.
- A prayer vigil will be held in LaGrange tomorrow, Saturday Jan. 14, at 5 p.m. in Lafayette Square.
- Troup County is distributing from a stock of 109 tarps for homes that experienced roof damage. They are available at the Troup County Jail Annex at 2508 Hamilton Rd. from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. They're also making arrangements for availability tomorrow.
- They're asking citizens not to pile up debris on right-of-ways as crews work to clear roadways. The city landfill is operating on extended hours.
- Four people were hospitalized in LaGrange with non-life-threatening injuries from the tornado, according to City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Mark Mitchell.
- About 106 homes have some type of damage, according to Mitchell.
- Three families were in need of housing assistance last night and were set up in hotels.
- About 1,500 residents lost power, which has mostly been restored, Mitchell said.
Steele also noted that he was in contact with the National Weather Service as the storm approached Troup County. He said a tornado warning went out at 3:13 p.m., with a funnel cloud reported over Sewon Blvd. at 3:14 p.m. that was confirmed by fire personnel in the area.
The Troup County Emergency Operations Center opened at 4 p.m.
Major damage was reported to the 1900 block of Hamilton Road, the Baldwin Park and Lexington Drive subdivisions, as well as the Upper Big Springs and Buck Murphy areas.
The county sent out four teams of two at 7 a.m. on Friday morning for damage assessment.
Mitchell said power remains out at some of the LaGrange industrial park plants, including the Kia motor plant. He said the city's current priority is getting that plant up and running again.