By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
APRIL 20, 2021 | Getting out of the house Friday after voluntary COVID-imposed staying-at-home, we drove to part of Metro Atlanta we know little about, South Fulton County. (The area was once Campbell County, but was absorbed by Fulton when Campbell went broke during the Depression.)
Though this area is about as close to the center of Metro Atlanta as Gwinnett, you can’t imagine how pristine it is. On four-laned South Fulton Parkway, four or five miles south of Interstate 285, we saw few cars. Where that far away from the city in Gwinnett is virtually all developed, here there is little more than rolling hills, vast farm land and few homes.
Our initial destination was Chattahoochee Hills, incorporated in 2007, with an estimated population of 3,318 in 2019. It’s hard to think of this as a city, since there is so much treed land or open fields with few houses and farms. That’s because zoning will permanently protect 70 percent of the City’s land as forest and farms. In 2014 the City annexed approximately 180 acres in Coweta County that had no residents at the request of the developer of Serenbe, which had property in both counties.
Serenbe is a small neighborhood started in 1991 now within Charttahoochee Hills developed by former restauranter Steve Nygren in areas it calls “Hamlets,” or smaller cluster centers with a minimum of business activity. Some 650 people live in about 350 homes. This area is pricey, with modern homes near one another in a varied architectural style featuring steep roofs. You see a lot of golf in quiet detached neighborhoods. Here’s a feeling of how small the community is: its newspaper is published twice a year. (More info)
This house was leveled in the Newnan tornado. National Weather Service photo.
Our one-day road trip continued to Newnan, where in the early morning hours of March 26 a 170 mph tornado hit, primarily on the southeast side of Newnan.
The extent of such devastation is hard to believe. The tornado was near the ground for 39 miles in Heard, Coweta and Fayette Counties, though the major damage was in Newnan.
Driving southeast from downtown, in about half a mile you begin to see the tremendous damage. Most every structure in sight has been damaged in some way as we drove about four miles. Yet every now and then, there sits a house in seemingly pristine condition. Go figure.
The tornado completely destroyed 70 homes. Altogether, there was damage, often severe, to more than 1,700 other structures, including Newnan High School and Atkinson Elementary School. So far 3,500 insurance claims have been filed for more than $55 million in losses. It will take years for the residents to overcome this damage. Amazingly, only one person died from the tornado!
Meanwhile, can you imagine how those people displaced by the tornado must feel? They are trying to put their lives back together, living in temporary facilities, their household goods, clothing, living area and everyday activities in tatters.
Next time you hear of a possible tornado alert, keep yourself tuned to the television stations, and heed their warnings. We’ll give the local commercial stations a big THANKS for their staying on the air continually without commercial messages during such times. Paying such attention can save your life.
It’s time to reach out and help Newnan. Donate to the Coweta Community Foundation, or to the Salvation Army or American Red Cross.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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