Confirmed: Atlanta storm a tornado (EF-2 tornado with winds up to 130 mph)

[onehandle]

Source: CNN

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A trail of uprooted and broken trees, downed utility lines, peeled-off roofs and collapsed brick walls marked the path of a tornado that tore through downtown Atlanta.

The National Weather Service confirmed late Saturday morning that an EF-2 tornado with winds up to 130 mph struck the city Friday night. Utility and cleanup crews on Saturday morning worked to restore traffic lights, clear streets and remove tons of debris in the city's business district after Friday night's unusual urban storm.

Trees crushed a row of houses in the city's historic Cabbagetown district just east of downtown. Initial estimates from the mayor's office said at least 20 of the historic homes were damaged or destroyed by the tornado.

The top floor collapsed at one building in the Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts, a 104-year-old industrial complex redeveloped into residences. Police officials said at daybreak Saturday that everyone was out of the structure and surrounding buildings and all residents in the lofts had been accounted for. The weather service said the tornado's path was about 6 miles long and 200 yards wide.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/15/storm.atlanta/index.html