Tornado with 110 mph winds hit Georgia community

National Weather Service representatives toured the area around Ivy Log Drive in south Cobb and determined an EF1 tornado with 110 mph winds was responsible for the destruction, according to a Saturday release from the county.

"Fifty homes were damaged in the area, with 16 destroyed or significantly damaged," the county said. "All the homeowners had insurance, and the Red Cross was working with other families on any immediate needs."

The county said there was no tornado warning in the area during Thursday's storm. The county also noted there were no injuries reported during the storm.

The conclusions from NWS officials confirm the hunches of Zain Hansraj, the owner of 18 Wheeler Truck Parts & Chrome, and James Palmer with Parker Young Construction.

On Friday, both men told the MDJ they believed a tornado was responsible for leveling the front wall of Hansraj's store, located at 7105 Oak Ridge Rd., less than a mile from Ivy Log Drive.

Palmer's team was at the store Friday as his team worked to install a temporary wooden wall where the brick wall once stood.

"Definitely a tornado," Palmer said.

The county said the tornado tracked a 1.5 mile path from Douglas County, not far from Hansraj's warehouse, and moved eastward into Cobb.

Hansraj told the MDJ Friday he expected damages to his store to cost about $200,000.

"The only thing I'm OK with, that nobody got hurt, not even a single person got hurt, and that's the blessing," Hansraj said. "Everything can be fixed later, but life cannot be replaced, and that's why I'm really thankful, that everybody's OK."