June 6, 2007
Alapaha - A storm with high winds, heavy rain and hail ripped through Alapaha Wednesday evening. "I stepped back outside and it was just plum white with lightning and trees shaking," says Anthony Powell, Public Works Supervisor for the city of Alapaha.
"A lot of rain, a lot of lightning and a lot of wind," adds Pastor Mike Gibbs of Alapaha Baptist Church.
And damaged everything in its path. "I have a big bay window and I heard all this popping and I heard the hail and the winds and the next thing I know, it goes dead quiet," says Jarret Dean.
"It was quiet than you could hear people going about town seeing who needed help," Gibbs says.
Some say it was a tornado, others a heavy wind storm. But they all agree it left a mess.
The storm uprooted 80 year-old pecan trees, peeled the roof off one business, downed powerlines and scattered the town with debris.
Leaving this small community with the big task of cleaning up. "We try to get trees and debris off the side of the road so people can drive and go through," Powell says.
Cleaning up will be no easy job and won't be done anytime soon. "I got a job for the next few days," Dean says.
But no one here is complaining. "We are just counting our blessings," Gibbs says. "We know it could be a lot worse. We are grateful its just a few trees and nobody was hurt."
Powell agrees. "We're just grateful it wasn't worse."
All the roads are expected to be cleared today but the debris clean-up will continue for the next couple of days.
Over 100 homes were left without power from the storm. However all power has now been restored.
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