Microburst damages homes in Gordon County

At least 10 structures were reported damaged by a microburst in Gordon County on Tuesday.

The damaged structures consisted mostly of homes, but also included some other buildings. Much of the damage was on or near Highway 53 in the Blackwood community just east of Interstate 75.

Richard Cooper of the Gordon County Emergency Management Agency said that the National Weather Service confirmed that the damage was caused by a microburst.

According to the NWS glossary, a microburst is a "convective downdraft with an affected outflow area of less than 2½ miles wide and peak winds lasting less than 5 minutes. Microbursts may induce dangerous horizontal/vertical wind shears, which can adversely affect aircraft performance and cause property damage."

Rachel Harrison said her 2-year-old son, J.J., was in the basement with his babysitter when the storm hit.

"I was a little shocked, but she said everybody was OK because it hit their garage and they were in the basement, so that was good," said Harrison.

Sierra Titus said that she huddled in the basement with her 73-year-old grandmother and two children, including Harrison's son.

There were no injuries reported and only one family was displaced by storm, according to officials.

Statewide, more than 9,100 people were left without power on Tuesday night.