An isolated supercell developed in west-central Georgia in the evening of March 14 . An EF2 tornado was reported in downtown Atlanta , which caused damage to several buildings , including the Georgia Dome ( while a SEC Tournament basketball game was underway ) , the World Congress Center , Philips Arena ( during an Atlanta Hawks game ) , and CNN Center . Many windows were blown out of the Omni Hotel , which was evacuated . Nine people were injured and there was one death from the tornado . The tornado was later confirmed as an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale and had a path length of about long and wide . The Georgia insurance commissioner 's office made a final cost tally of a half-billion dollars ( 100 million at the GWCC alone ) , making it one of the most expensive tornadoes in history
SEC Tournament basketball game
2008 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
Tornadoes of 2008