If you’re without power and have downed trees in your yard, you’re not alone
Strong winds and heavy rains cut off power and downed trees across Middle Georgia Monday as Tropical Storm Irma swept through the region.
Here’s a look at damage reports from some midstate counties.
Baldwin County
Downed trees were widespread throughout Baldwin County, but there were no injuries, a dispatcher with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said. A few trees fell on area homes and structures, the county’s Emergency Management Agency reported.
Crawford County
By Monday evening, Tropical Storm Irma had cut power from 3,200 homes in Crawford County.
Downed trees and power lines were scattered across the county, but no injuries have been reported. Trees fell on two homes, said Rick Sharon, the county’s Emergency Management Agency director.
Crawford County Sheriff Lewis Walker said a tree fell on the department’s investigative building, but it’s not serious.
Houston County
Irma left more than 17,000 customers in Houston County without power Monday, and it could be a week before all are restored.
Jimmy Williams, Houston County Emergency Management Agency director, estimated that about 100 trees had fallen in the county. That includes one large tree that fell on Hunt Road took down four poles with it, knocking out power to the Publix shopping center on Lake Joy Road, among others.
Williams said six trees had fallen on homes but no injuries were reported. At least one home on Elberta Road was severely damaged when a large tree fell on it.
Jones County
Wet ground and strong wind brought down trees, severed power lines and caused problems for traffic in Jones County. More than 6,500 people in Jones County were without power early evening Monday, according to Tri-County EMC’s website.
The sheriff’s office deployed its Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle to push heavy trees out of the roadway. The tan military vehicle was nicknamed “Miss Bessie,” when it was acquired by the sheriff’s office in June 2014.
Laurens County
Tropical Storm Irma took down trees across Laurens County.
Trees fell on several structures, and one person had to be taken to the hospital after a tree came down on their vehicle. At one point, several thousand residents were without power.
Macon-Bibb County
Tropical Storm Irma led to about 50,000 power outages in Macon-Bibb County and reports of 65 downed trees by the early Monday evening, county spokesman Chris Floore said.
Some homes were damaged by trees during Irma. There has been some possible flash flooding because of the constant rain but not any significant flooding in Macon.
Monroe County
Throughout Monday, it seemed like a never-ending report of trees in Monroe County falling over.
“If you tell me where (trees are) not down, it would make our jobs easier,” Matthew Perry, director of the Monroe County Emergency Agency, said Monday afternoon. “It’s just wide open. Like everyone, we got smashed. This was a tropical storm that came through Central Georgia and that’s what you’d expect.”
Perry said county crews are prioritizing cleanup efforts such as removing trees that have been knocked onto roadways.
Peach County
Irma hit Peach County hard Monday, with many fallen trees and widespread power outages.
Sheriff Terry Deese said many trees had fallen throughout the county, including a couple on homes, but he said he was not aware of anyone being injured. Pecans are a big crop in the county and growers were concerned about damage to trees. Deese said he saw many damaged pecan trees, including some that were completely felled.
This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 7:48 PM with the headline "If you’re without power and have downed trees in your yard, you’re not alone."