Strong winds batter Macon, tearing down trees and leaving thousands without power

High winds tore down trees and power lines in north Macon Tuesday afternoon, prompting road closures and leaving thousands without power.

Wimbish Road was shut down at two spots — Old Lundy Road and north of Windsor — as fallen trees pulled down power lines. King Alfred Drive and Victoria Circle was also closed, a fallen pine tree blocking the road and another one, snapped halfway up, had fallen on part of a house.

While experts have not confirmed whether a tornado touched down in Macon, Wimbish was strewn with shredded wood and high winds knocked over concrete benches.

Traffic lights along Forsyth Road were without power, leading to delays, particularly near the Forest Hill intersection.

Northminster Presbyterian Church on Wimbish was damaged in the storm as well.

Students at Rosa Taylor Elementary School were held until about 6:15 p.m. because there was no access to the school. School buses and parent vehicles remain trapped in the parking lot, according to the Bibb County School District, although there was no obvious damage to the building.

The school has a generator for use during power outages. Rosa Taylor will have a late, 10 a.m. start Wednesday.

Houston Health Pavilion damage not from storm

Houston Healthcare executive director, marketing & business development Kevin Rowley told the Telegraph that the Houston Health Pavilion at 233 N. Houston Road had a mechanical device overheat, sending smoke into the building at about 3:45 p.m.

The building was evacuated as a precaution and the all clear was given about 4:30 p.m.

The incident was unrelated to the severe weather that moved through Middle Georgia.

Power outages

Georgia Power is reporting 50 outages affecting more than 7,000 customers in Middle Georgia on their outage map. The utility company is currently estimating power will be restored to those customers by 7 p.m. Tuesday.

For more information on outages, visit Georgia Power’s Outage and Storm Center website..

To report downed trees and power lines in Macon-Bibb County, call 1-833-535-4362. For any emergencies, call 911.

— Telegraph reporter Becky Purser contributed to this story.

This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 5:07 PM.