Cleanup continues after severe storms blow through metro Atlanta
ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Strong storms that rolled through metro Atlanta Monday night hit hard in several places.
Storms tore through the metro Atlanta area starting a little after 5 p.m. There were reports of heavy rain and high winds. There was also a lot of lightning associated with this storm.
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The video from the FOX 5 camera located high above Atlanta’s 101 Marietta building caught a spectacular scene as the storms began to roll through the heart of Atlanta.
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One of the hardest hit areas was Lawrenceville Highway at Fraser Road. Officials said about three or four poles carrying four or five high-voltage lines snapped at the top. The lines appeared to be dangling. Tree branches appeared to be part of the cause. Crews worked well into the night to cut the trees and begin restringing the lights. The power in the immediate area including traffic lights and lights to homes and businesses were out.
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Also in DeKalb County, a tree fell across Briarcliff Road near Briar Vista Terrace. Firefighters said the tree snapped a utility pole and it was resting on the wires. The road was closed around 7 p.m. and was closed for about three hours while crews worked to remove the debris.
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The FOX 5 Storm Team came across one home in Riverdale along Eva Street which received more than its fair share of damage. A tree fell on the home, piercing its way through the roof and into the interior. The homeowner said she jumped when she heard the loud boom. No one inside was injured.
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In Gwinnett County, firefighters said they responded to at least a half dozen storm-related calls including lightning strikes, trees down, and branches on power lines. Almost every county in north Georgia reported downed trees following the storm, according to the National Weather Service.
Georgia Power said at the height of the storms, about 35,000 customers were without power. The Georgia EMCs reported about 20,000 customers were without power. Georgia Power reported outages were down to about 20,000 customers and the Georgia EMCs said under 6,000 customers were without power around 11:30 p.m. Monday.
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Flights at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport were delayed as the storms passed over the five runways. The FAA reported some flight delays up to two hours, depending on which airport the flight was coming from or heading to. FOX 5's camera at the airport showed the rain coming down so hard it completely obscured the view of the tower only 5,000 feet away.
The Gwinnett County Swiftwater Team had to be deployed Monday afternoon as the storms moved through after a kayaker became stranded on an island along Lake Lanier. The kayakers told firefighters she was having difficulty making it back to East Bank Buford Dam Park due to the increased wake churned up by the wind. They were able to reach her using GPS and pictures she took of her surroundings. She was safely taken back to shore.
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