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Covington woman survives EF-1 tornado after car flipped over several times

By ZAC SUMMERS

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    ATLANTA (WGCL) — A powerful EF-1 tornado caught a small Georgia community off guard when it made landfall on New Year’s Eve, lasting seven minutes and stretching 75 yards.

It’s an experience Alisha Jacques says she never wants go through again, but she’s thankful to be alive.

Jacques thought her life was over Friday night as she came face to face with the tornado.

“Looking at my vehicle, you’d think I died in that car,” she said.

She was with her brother in the drive-thru line at a Covington Chick-Fil-A when they spotted the tornado.

“What do I do? I’m squished between two vehicles. I can’t get out. I can’t go anywhere. What was I supposed to do?” Jacques pondered.

With no way to escape, Jacques could only hope for the best. She says the tornado picked up her SUV, flipping it three to four times before it landed 100 feet from its original location.

“When it was flipping it said 911 has been activated, and called 911 for me. Thank god, but it flipped three to four times. It was absolutely horrible. Horrible, horrible, horrible,” an emotional Jacques recalled.

Good Samaritans pulled Jacques and her brother out of the SUV. Somehow, the two managed to avoid any serious injuries, only suffering minor scratches and bruising.

Meanwhile, Jacques says the frightening encounter gave her a newfound appreciation for life.

“You don’t know what could happen that could change your life,” she said.

The tornado in Covington was one of two EF-1 tornadoes that touched down on New Year’s Eve. The other hit Carroll County.

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