Lee leaves damage in its wake in Georgia, heads toward Northeast
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Lee no longer qualifies as a tropical storm, but no matter -- the weather system continues to do damage as it moves up the East Coast, with Georgia feeling the brunt Monday.
The storm, already responsible for disastrous flooding in south Louisiana and other parts of the Gulf Coast, knocked out trees and power lines, tore up homes and was responsible for at least one death in Georgia. In Cherokee County, just north of Atlanta, a tornado touched down and at least 100 homes were damaged, said Lisa Janak, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
‘Lee left a mess in Georgia,’ she told The Times. ‘Right now we’re still assessing the widespread impacts.’
Janak said slick roads were responsible for an 18-car pileup on a freeway near Macon. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a man died in suburban Gwinnett County after trying to cross a dam with a friend and being swept into turbulent waters.
Meteorologists at AccuWeather.com warn that Lee could cause more flooding as it moves into the Appalachians and the interior Northeast. As much as 10 inches of rain was possible in West Virginia, western Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and upstate New York, the service reported.
In the Atlantic, meanwhile, experts continue to keep an eye on Hurricane Katia, currently a Category 3 storm. Katia is heading west, but may take a turn to the north before hitting the U.S.
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