Body may be tornado's first victim

ATLANTA -- Workers found a body on Saturday while clearing rubble from a building damaged over a week ago when a tornado slammed into downtown Atlanta, police said.

"We may have the first tornado victim in the city of Atlanta, but we won't know for sure until the medical examiner" returns with results, officer James Polite said.

The man had no identification, but he was wearing a wedding band, Polite said.

The front of the damaged building had been a store and the rear had been rented out to a local church. Workers using a Bobcat to scoop up bricks and debris saw a hand sticking out of the rubble and called police, Polite said.

"We believe the man was seeking shelter from the storm and did not make it into the building," Polite said. "He was facing the wall when we found him."

Investigators brought in two cadaver dogs to search the rubble, which was east of downtown, but no other bodies were found.

The twister struck the city with little warning March 14, cutting a six-mile path of destruction through the city with winds gusting up to 130 mph. At least 27 people were injured.

The storm significantly damaged the city's largest convention venue, the Georgia World Congress Center, blew out hundreds of windows, and scattered debris across the city's core and surrounding residential areas.

Many residents were surprised by the storm, as were fans at a Southeastern Conference basketball tournament at the Georgia Dome and an NBA matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers at Philips Arena.

Another tornado that hit northwest Georgia on March 15 killed two Polk County residents.