ATLANTA, March 15 (UPI) -- At least two deaths were reported Saturday from devastating storms in North Georgia and South Carolina.
The Atlanta area remained under a tornado watch after a windstorm late Friday. The National Weather Service confirmed Saturday that the storm was an EF2 tornado.
Police checking for damage found a woman dead and her husband badly hurt just after noon Saturday in the wreckage of their house near Aragon, about 50 miles northwest of Atlanta, CNN reported. Five dogs were also killed in the area and other animals hurt.
The second death occurred when a tornado touched down in Floyd County northwest of Atlanta on the Alabama border at about 4:30 p.m. Officials said that 20 houses were demolished.
By Saturday evening, the storms had moved into South Carolina, with at least one report of a tornado touching down. Capt. Todd Johnson of the Newberry County Sheriff's Office told CNN that one woman was seriously hurt when a falling tree struck her trailer in Prosperity, northwest of Columbia.
The Atlanta tornado damaged several landmarks, including the Georgia Dome. A basketball game between Mississippi State and the University of Alabama was being played when the storm hit. Lucas Shields said the game was in overtime and he thought at first the noise came from fans.
"All of a sudden the TV went out, the overhead clock stopped working, and you hear that distinctive noise of a train," he said.
The Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts and 20 homes in the historic Cabbagetown neighborhood were reduced to rubble, officials said.
