Tornado batters Adairsville, leaves 1 dead - Los Angeles Local News, Weather, and Traffic

Bartow County officials say a quarter-mile wide tornado touched down in Adairsville, damaging numerous buildings and flipping over automobiles. One person was killed and at least 10 others were hurt.

Officials say the tornado touched down at U.S. 41 and Highway 140 in Adairsville just after 11 a.m. It continued for more than two miles, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

(CLICK HERE TO SEE FACEBOOK VIDEO OF THE TORNADO)

MAN, 51, KILLED IN MOBILE HOME

The tornado toppled trees, smashed homes, brought down power lines and overturned numerous vehicles, leaving debris scattered across the area.

"It breaks your heart. It really does," said Adairsville City Manager Pat Crook. "I teared up a couple of times. It just hurt to see this kind of damage."

A man was killed after a tree crashed into his mobile home. The Bartow County coroner identified the man as 51-year-old Anthony Raines. He was apparently asleep when the tree fell onto his home.

At least 10 other people were reported injured.

The Bartow County Sheriff's Office said that some of the injured people were taken to the Cartersville Medical Center. Their conditions were not immediately known.

Bartow County emergency management officials have enacted a mandatory curfew to take effect from dusk until dawn. Only emergency workers will be allowed on roads.

A boil-water order has also been issued for Adairsville.

SHELTERS SET UP

The Red Cross opened a shelter at Manning Mill Youth Facility, located at 163b Manning Mill Road in Adairsville for displaced families. The shelter is set up to hold 100 people. Around 25 people were staying at the shelter on Wednesday, according to FOX 5's George Franco.

Northpointe Church on Orchard Road has also set up a shelter. A triage area has been set up near where the tornado touched down.

A Facebook page has been started to help distribute info about storm damage in Adairsville. Click here and "like" the page to get the latest updates on damage and relief efforts in area.

‘IT SUCKED ME IN LIKE A VACUUM'

FOX 5's Doug Evans reports that two tractor-trailer trucks were picked up at the Adairsville Travel Plaza and tossed across the road into an embankment.

"It actually took me. It sucked me in like a vacuum, and it spit me out. I felt it pulling me in, and it just shot me," said Travis Richardson, who driving one of the trucks.

Daiki, a sheet metal plant in Adairsville, was destroyed. Workers said they huddled in the bathroom.

"When we got to the bathroom, the walls were sucking in and all of a sudden we just -- all of a sudden it just started pulling. I was holding on to the bathroom wall and holding on to something just to keep holding on. It was rough," said one worker.

Elsewhere in the town, a pecan tree crashed through the Education Play Station on Summer Street. FOX 5's Paul Yates said that there no injuries.  Most of the children had gone home when the tree fell.  The remaining parents, staff and children managed to escape injury.

Bartow County officials say schools in the county were not damaged. Adairsville High School was without power as of 5 p.m. School officials said they do plan on holding classes on Thursday.

Residents said they were surprised at how fast the storm approached Juanita Carter said that she took shelter in the restroom of her home when the tornado struck. After the storm passed, there were only two walls of her cider block home.

Carter said that she didn't hear any sirens.  She was thankful that she was unharmed and that her children were at school.

The owner of a grocery store crouched down in the counter while customers sought shelter in the aisles. No one was injured, but the store was completely demolished.

FOX 5's Justin Gray talked to residents who rode out the storm at a motel on Joe Frank Harris Parkway. Much of the motel was destroyed by the storm, but no serious injuries were reported.

Ashley Butler said that she was taking out the trash when she saw the tornado quickly approached. She ran inside and huddled as the tornado ripped of the roof of the structure.

Officials went door-to-door checking homes and businesses for injured people. They spray-painted marks on the doors of homes they checked.

Utility and emergency crews converged on the area to begin work on restoring power, clearing roads and aiding victims. As of 3:45 a.m. on Thursday, Georgia Power reported 9,600 customers without power, 2,500 of those in northwest Georgia.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in Bartow and Gordon counties after the storms.

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO HELP VICTIMS OF THE STORM