$7,500 Awarded to Paulding Schools from Education Foundation

The Paulding Education Foundation awarded $7,500 to winning Paulding schools on Wednesday as a result of their School Grant Program.

Video: Repairs to Poole Elementary Nearly Complete

The elementary school in Dallas was damaged by the March 2 tornado. School district officials last week examined the facility, which is nearly ready for next month's start of the school year.

A new sign will be the first thing students see as they return to a school damaged by a tornado more than four months ago. Lillian C. Poole Elementary School in Dallas was damaged in the March 2 tornado that caused destruction across Paulding County. One wing of the school had part of its roof ripped off, while several classrooms sustained mainly water damage due to the rain after the tornado’s winds. Portable units and the school’s sign also were damaged by the severe weather. Despite the damage, efforts from work crews and staff allowed the school to resume normal operations the next school day. Last week, officials with Paulding County Schools toured the facility to examine many of the repairs made. The district now has only a few …

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Paulding’s Superintendent Receives State Award

Cliff Cole was recognized for his actions and leadership following the March 2 tornado that damaged Poole Elementary.

Cliff Cole, superintendent of the Paulding County School District, was recently presented with the Georgia School Superintendents Association's President’s Award. Cole was selected out of the nearly 180 superintendents representing school districts throughout the state of Georgia. According to a news release Tuesday, Cole was nominated by Dexter Mills, executive director of the Northwest Georgia Regional Education Service Agency. The letter of nomination focused on Cole’s actions in the aftermath of a category EF-3 tornado that struck Poole Elementary School on the evening of Friday, March 2. Mills stated that Cole took “immediate and decisive action” and was able to “rally all of the necessary community resources and offer a calmness and …

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Your Turn

Share Your Photos/Videos of Storm Relief Efforts

We’ve brought you some scenes of volunteers cleaning up the damage caused by the storms—now it’s your turn.

We were there Saturday as volunteers left from Poole Elementary and traveled to several “hotspots” to remove debris and offer other aid, and we brought you video from the sites. Now we hope you’ll share with us your photos and videos of volunteers’ storm damage cleanup in Paulding County, from Saturday or any other day. Upload your photos and videos to this article and we’ll highlight your submissions.

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Jon Gargis

2:17 am on Thursday, April 19, 2012

Thanks for sharing your photos, Sheila!   more ›

Storm Cleanup To Start at Poole Today

Volunteers looking to help the community after last week’s storms will gather at the school this morning, then disperse to several “hotspots” to clean up debris.

Those looking to help with the cleanup efforts in the wake of last weekend’s tornado and storms should head to Poole Elementary School today at 8:30 a.m. That’s when volunteer groups will gather before being organized to go out to about a dozen “hotspots”—areas of the community affected by the severe weather. The efforts are being coordinated by officials at West Ridge Church in Dallas, and today’s work will be centered around debris cleanup in the 9-mile stretch that the storms impacted. Volunteers participating in debris cleanup will need to bring wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, gloves, chainsaws and other items appropriate for removing trees, tree limbs and trash.

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Storm Cleanup Efforts To Start at Poole Elementary Saturday

Volunteers looking to help the community after last week’s storms will gather at the school in the morning, then disperse to several “hotspots” to clean up debris.

Those looking to help with the cleanup efforts in the wake of last weekend’s tornado and storms should head to Poole Elementary School Saturday at 8:30 a.m. That’s when volunteer groups will gather before being organized to go out to about a dozen “hotspots”—areas of the community affected by the severe weather. The efforts are being coordinated by officials at West Ridge Church in Dallas, and Saturday’s work will be centered around debris cleanup in the 9-mile stretch that the storms impacted. Volunteers participating in debris cleanup will need to bring wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, gloves, chainsaws and other items appropriate for removing trees, tree limbs and trash. Work is also continuing all week long. Those looking for specific …

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Officials Detail Updated Effects of Storms’ Damage

County leaders say local churches are aiding in relief efforts, while authorities are watching out for those who aim to loot from sites or bilk homeowners.

The numbers quantifying the effects of the tornado and storms that struck Paulding Friday night and early Saturday keep climbing. At a press conference put on by county leaders Monday afternoon, County Administrator Michael Jones reported that 163 homes sustained damage—14 received major damage, 57 moderate and the remaining minor damage. In all, 10 areas of the county were hit as Friday’s tornado entered the southwest part of the county and traveled east. Despite the increasing reports of damage to homes, officials say they still have not received any reports of major injuries or deaths caused by the weekend’s severe weather. Paulding Board of Commissioners Chairman David Austin said relief efforts for those affected by the tornado and …

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County Officials Confirm Tornado Touchdown

Authorities so far have counted more 160 structures with at least some storm damage.

Paulding residents can now officially say a tornado was responsible for at least some of the damage caused by the severe weather Friday night and early Saturday. MaryAnn Phipps, coordinator and public information officer for Paulding County Fire/Rescue and Emergency Management Agency, told Dallas-Hiram Patch Sunday afternoon that the National Weather Service had confirmed that a category 3 tornado had struck Paulding. But Phipps said local officials are working with the NWS to determine how many touchdowns there were. The number of structures affected by the severe weather had risen to 161 as of late Sunday afternoon, based on county officials’ assessment of the northwest corner of the county—the hardest hit by the severe weather. Of that …

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