‘Look how fast it’s swirling’: Screven County residents share experience day after tornadoes

SCREVEN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Residents in Screven County are cleaning up after two tornadoes touched down less than an hour apart on Saturday, uprooting trees, damaging homes and spreading debris.

One homeowner recorded video as the first tornado passed over her house.

Resident captures video of first tornado

Rene Volf recorded video as the first tornado formed over her home in Halcyondale. The funnel did not touch down on her property, but Volf said the circular motion could be seen.

“We could see the actual rotation compared to further off, and so, I got a little nervous,” Volf said.

Winds pulled siding off Volf’s house and brought down several branches on her property.

“Nothing that’s unmanageable, but still a scary experience for sure,” Volf said.

Volf said she received a text message saying a second tornado was forming shortly after the first passed.

“I was going, oh God, please don’t be coming this way too, but it went further south, so thank goodness I didn’t get hit twice,” Volf said.

Second tornado damages homes, church in Newington

The second tornado touched down in Newington, where several homes and a local church were damaged.

On Sunday, neighbors returned to a site where a mobile home was crushed by surrounding trees. They declined to speak on camera but said the three people inside the mobile home at the time of the tornado were doing okay.

Volf said the community has started helping residents affected by the damage.

“That’s the good thing about a small community is everyone will come together in a time of need,” Volf said.

National Weather Service surveys damage

The National Weather Service was in the area Sunday surveying damage from the storms. WTOC reached out to the Screven County Emergency Management Agency for more information on the extent of the damage and is waiting to hear back.