Strong storms moved through the area Sunday, knocking down trees and leaving thousands without power. Heavy rains and gusty winds were reported in several counties.
The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF-2 tornado touched down in Thomaston. Upson County's Emergency Management Director says at least one home was leveled off Delray Road. Several other homes were badly damaged.
"We heard the wind coming. We had about five seconds to get into an enclosed space. By the time we got in that space, we hovered over each other. We started praying, and we heard glass breaking,” said Latisha Brundidge.
The violent storms slammed the Brundidge’s home on Shannon Court in Thomaston.
All around them houses were damaged. A small office building was destroyed and trees knocked down across the county.
"In probably less than 15 seconds, I opened the door. It seemed like everything from the outside was inside my house,” said Marcus Brundidge.
Marcus Brundidge showed Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen a large limb that crashed through the wall and onto the pillow of his son’s bed.
The family hid in the laundry room as the storm barreled through.
"We know when we pray all the time for angels to cover us and our house in this neighborhood, we knew God was going to take care of us. But when I look at that, I just know how real He is,” said Latisha Brundidge.
Upson County was one of the hardest hit areas in Sunday’s storms.
"I'm just thankful that everybody was aware the storm was coming. The sirens were going off. People were paying attention to what was going on. I think that played a big part in nobody being injured,” said Sheriff Dan Kilgore.
In Lamar County, heavy winds brought down part of the roof of the public works building near Grove Street.
“We felt a lot of wind and it had stopped raining and it was just a lot of pressure,” said Jarquavas Ware. “We heard a lot of metal just banging and rounded us up and put us in shelter.”
At a nearby gas station, customers took shelter in the coolers in the back of the store.
“We probably had 20 odd people back there,” said gas station worker Phil Marshall.
Jasper County dispatch says they received reports of wind damage and trees down across parts of the county.
Butts County also reported trees and power lines down in several areas. Dispatch said they also had a number of car accidents that appear to be weather related. Dispatch systems were knocked out for about an hour from the storm, but are now working again.
Sunday night, crews were working to repair broken power poles that left thousands in the dark.
There have been no reports of injuries.
Georgia Power reports around 1,200 people are without power across the state as of early Monday morning.
Download our Severe Weather Team 2 App to stay updated on the go.