Tornado

EF-1 Tornado Causes Damage in Benevola Community

Wednesday, May 18, 2022 - 3:14:11 PM

Damage near Kirk; Commissioner Gray helping to clean up damage. Photo by Doug Sanders Jr.

By Donna Bin
Staff Writer

GORDO-An EF-1 tornado that was confirmed by the National Weather Service moved through Pickens County on the night of Wednesday, March 30, 2022, and it left a lot of damage in the Benevola Community.
Volunteer fire departments worked tirelessly to assure that everyone was safe before beginning cleanup operations. Several agencies were involved in the cleanup operations. Pickens County Road Crews, Pickens County Sheriff’s Deputies, Police, EMA and volunteers worked until all roads were passable.

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PCHS student saves baby’s life after deadly tornado

Wednesday, January 22, 2020 - 10:59:17 AM

PCHS and Pickens County College and Career Center student Daliyah Jones was recognized at the Board of Education meeting last week for her courageous efforts to save a baby’s life in the aftermath of the tornado.

Daliyah Jones, a student at Pickens County High School, who also attends the Pickens County College and Career Center, is being called a hero after saving the life of a baby after the deadly tornadoes on Saturday, January 11, 2020.
Jones said that once the storm had subsided in the Settlement community that she and her uncle were riding around on a 4-wheeler, checking to see if anyone needed help when she heard a lady screaming that her baby was injured.
The 17-year-old then ran over to see if she could help in any way.

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Tornado kills three; destroys homes in Settlement community

Wednesday, January 22, 2020 - 10:51:28 AM

The scene near the Settlement community near Carrollton, where an EF-2 tornado touched down on Saturday, January 11, 2020, ravaging homes and claiming the lives of three. Clean up has been an ongoing effort since the storm.

On Saturday, January 11, 2020, a tornado, confirmed to be an EF-2 by the National Weather Service, touched down near the Settlement community near Carrollton, claiming the lives of three individuals and destroying the homes of many more. Tyrone Spain, 51, Albert Barnett, 85, and wife Susan Barnett, 75, all lost their lives in the tornado. The NWS crews say that winds reached 132 miles per hour during the storm. The result was a mix of brick and wood-frame houses and mobile homes scattered all throughout the community.