Deadly tornado outbreak destroys Bethel Baptist Church in West Point, damages Northside in Milledgeville

Authorities say 5 people injured when twisters hits Georgia on Sunday, no deaths reported in the state

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LaGRANGE, Ga. – A tornado damaged an estimated 100 homes and other structures in Troup County on Sunday, destroying Bethel Baptist Church in the small community of West Point and heavily damaging 20 to 30 additional homes there, authorities said.

Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief advance teams were on the ground assessing damage in Troup County on Sunday.

“We’ll have a full deployment with chainsaw units, feeding units, showers, incident management, chaplains, the whole deal,” said Dwain Carter, director of disaster relief for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board who toured the damage Sunday.

Gov. Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency early Sunday after the scope the damage became clear.

“As we continue to monitor the weather and work with local partners to address damage throughout the day, I ask all Georgians to join us in praying for those impacted,” Kemp said in a statement Sunday morning.

Carter said Bethel Baptist Church was destroyed and Northside Baptist Church in Milledgeville was damaged.

“The area right there around Bethel Baptist church is just totally devastated,” said Andy Buchanan, mission strategist in the Troup County Baptist Association. “It’s unrecognizable. The trees are all stripped bare, twisted and torn.”

Despite the damage, Buchanan said no one in the community was seriously injured.

“The Lord had just protected people,” he said. “We’re praising the Lord for that.”

Bethel Pastor Chris Hendricks said the plan is to  erect a large tent on the church grounds to hold services in until  the church is rebuilt. 

"I believe God is using the tornado to bless our church," Hendricks said. “I believe God is using this as a door of opportunity to help the church grow bigger and stronger than ever before.”

Georgia was one of several Deep South states hit by tornadoes over the weekend.

At least 25 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in Mississippi as a massive storm ripped through more than a half dozen towns there late Friday.

“Everything I can see is in some state of destruction,” said Jarrod Kunze, who drove to the hard-hit Mississippi town of Rolling Fork from his home in Alabama, ready to help “in whatever capacity I’m needed.”

Kunze was among volunteers working Sunday at a staging area, where bottled water and other supplies were being readied for distribution.

Search and recovery crews resumed the daunting task of digging through flattened and battered homes, commercial buildings and municipal offices after hundreds of people were displaced.

“Help is on the way,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said at a news conference with local, state and federal leaders.

Recovery efforts were underway Sunday even as the National Weather Service warned of a new risks of high winds, large hail and possible tornadoes in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

The tornado that touched down in Troup County left 30 buildings uninhabitable and injured at least five people.

Two tigers briefly escaped from their enclosures at Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia, after the park sustained extensive tornado damage. “Both have now been found, tranquilized, and safely returned to a secure enclosure,” the park said on Facebook.

In the Mississippi Delta, Kimberly Berry took shelter in a church with her 12-year-old daughter and prayed for their safety. The twister left only her home’s foundation and a few belongings — a toppled refrigerator, a dresser and nightstand, a bag of Christmas decorations, some clothing.

“I didn’t hear nothing but my own self praying and God answering my prayer,” she said. “I mean, I can get another house, another furniture. But literally saving my life — I’m thankful.”

In Mississippi’s Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe and Sharkey counties, the

twister flattened entire blocks, obliterated houses, ripped a steeple off a church and toppled a municipal water tower.

Based on early data, the tornado received a preliminary EF-4 rating, the National Weather Service office in Jackson said in a tweet. An EF-4 tornado has top wind gusts between 166 mph and 200 mph (265 kph and 320 kph).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said 25 people were confirmed killed in Mississippi, 55 people were injured and 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.

The tornado that slammed into Rolling Fork tore across Mississippi for about 59 miles over a period that lasted more than one hour, the National Weather Service said in a preliminary report Sunday. The tornado was an estimated three-quarters of a mile wide at some points, according to the preliminary estimate.

In Georgia, Rachel McMahon awoke Sunday to news from her father that the Troup County motel he’d been staying in was destroyed. She said her dad, who is disabled, took shelter in the bathtub when the tornado hit.

He was badly shaken up, but not injured. She had to walk the last half-mile to his motel because of downed trees.

“SO thankful my dad is ok,” she posted on Facebook, along with photos and videos of the damage: houses with gaping holes in roofs, massive tree trunks snapped in half and powerlines dangling every which way.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.