ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) -
It's been one year since a series of tornadoes and severe weather swept through Georgia, resulting in 15 fatalities and 115 injuries.
The severe weather spanned three days, April 26-28, damaging more than 2,000 homes.
Some of the hardest-hit areas were Catoosa County and Spalding County.
According to the National Weather Service, an EF-4 Tornado hit Catoosa County. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency said eight of the 15 fatalities occurred there.
County officials said more than 800 buildings were damaged, including Ringgold High School. Students weren't able to return to high school for several weeks, and the seniors' graduation ceremony was held in Chattanooga, TN.
In Spalding County, two deaths were reported. County officials said the storm destroyed or damaged 400 homes. The National Weather Service said the tornado packed winds of up to 140 mph and blazed a devastating path 20 miles long and half-a-mile wide.
Georgia wasn't the only state affected by severe weather in late April.
Nationwide, 312 tornadoes touched down during the three-day period, with 226 of those tornadoes occurring on April 27, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Tornadoes were reported in 21 states from Texas to New York.
NOAA said April 27 also ranked as the sixth deadliest single day in U.S. History, with 334 of the 344 total deaths being reported on that day.
Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.