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Carroll County takes biggest hit from severe storms

By Carl Willis and Tom Regan, WSB-TV
By Carl Willis and Tom Regan, WSB-TV

CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — Severe storms caused damage across north Georgia on Monday, but Carroll County was hit particularly hard.

Bobby Pitts had just stepped into his home when a powerful storm swept through this Carrollton neighborhood.

"The wind picked up, whistling sound came. Then, less than a second or two, all the trees were down," Pitts told Channel 2's Carl Willis.

Those trees ended up falling down into his family's kitchen and resting on the car that he parked just minutes earlier.

"My heart went to pounding. I told my mom, 'I’m glad I wasn't in the car,'" Pitts said.

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Diane Skinner says she had a close call when a tree fell just short of her car.

She said she could hear the strength of the wind.

"The rocks were going everywhere and all you heard was, like, crackling and popping,” Skinner said.

"It took the power box off my house, tore down a bunch of cable lines," homeowner Ricky McClure told Willis.

The storms took down power lines and even power poles, leaving more than 1,000 customers in the dark.

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Georgia Power crews worked into the night to restore power while residents surveyed the damage.

James Wyatt told Willis that, after standing the test of time, a huge tree nearly took out the sanctuary at Moore's Chapel United Methodist Church.

"We wouldn't have had the money to get it redone. God smiled on us for a moment there," Wyatt said.

Severe Weather Team 2 is forecasting another round of storms that could be on their way to the area on Wednesday.

"I’m hoping it bypasses (us)," McClure said.

Channel 2 Action News obtained cellphone video showing the roof of a fire station being blown off by the storms.

"All of a sudden, the roof is coming off the fire station," West Georgia College student Kellyn Quillian told Channel 2's Tom Regan. "I can't believe I got it at just the right time. It was terrifying. I was so scared."

After slamming into the fire station, the apparent tornado scraped a student housing apartment complex, tearing off siding and shattering windows.

“I was just sitting in my room and I looked out the window and I saw this big swirling tornado coming through, and I turned my back and my window busted out,” student Jaqueline Vacarro said. “It was frightening. It was really scary. I just ran down the steps and grabbed my roommates.”

The suspected twister tore down trees in its path before peeling the roof off the fire station, with three firefighters inside. That was around 11 a.m.

Cox Media Group

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