ST. MARYS, Ga. – The city of St. Marys is continuing to clean up from the aftermath of Tropical Storm Elsa which left damage after an EF2 tornado touched down.
At least 45 homes in St. Marys were damaged because of the tornado, and as clean-up continues piles of yard waste and debris continue to grow throughout the downtown area.
Monday, residents can haul their storm debris to the Old Still Road Yard Waste Site in Kingsland from 7 1.m. to 3 p.m. Remember to keep your yard debris and construction debris separated.
The City of St. Marys is continuing to clean up from the aftermath of Tropical Storm Elsa, which spawned an EF2 tornado...
Posted by St. Marys Police Department on Sunday, July 11, 2021
The tornado had an overall path of 3.65 miles with winds of up to 130 miles per hour. The affected areas include Norris Street, Point Peter Road, and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, and people are asked to avoid these areas while cleanup continues.
The National Weather Service Jacksonville says it’s aware of 17 total injuries as a result of the storm, 11 people were hospitalized.
The tornado reached its maximum strength at the Eagle Hammock RV Park, where multiple recreational vehicles were flipped. One was blown about 200 feet into a lake.
Charlie Jacobs, a resident of the RV Park said he heard something that he thought was a tree coming down, “It came through the porch and punched a hole through the roof. When I went back out a few minutes later, it was back to normal,” he said. “Through hurricanes and everything else. Never been a problem. This one was different. This one was scary”
City officials reminding residents they need a burn permit before burning. You can call the fire station too if you would like to burn.
To obtain a permit, call Fire Station 2 at 912-882-6289 between the hours of 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on the day you would like to burn.