(Forsyth County, GA) Forsyth County is recovering from severe storms that struck the state on Thursday, January 12.
While nearby counties were hit by several tornadoes, no tornadoes were expected or seen in Forsyth County.
Deputy Director Joey Smith of the Forsyth County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) said there were a few downed trees throughout the county, however, there was no structural damage to any residences or businesses. Some minor flooding was also reported.
“It was a routine springtime, even though it's January- springtime thunderstorm,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, Sawnee EMC reported about 55 power stations went down during the storms late Thursday afternoon. While most of them have been fixed since then, the Outage Web Map reports eight downed power stations in the northeast part of the county as of the morning of Friday, January 13.
The electric company estimates the power stations will be fixed before noon.
Severe weather safety tips
The National Weather Service offers the following tips on safety during severe thunderstorms:
- When a thunderstorm threatens, protect yourself by taking cover within your home, a large building, or a hard-topped automobile.
- Do not use the phone except in the case of an emergency.
- If you are caught outside, do not stand under tall trees or telephone poles because lightning has a tendency to strike these tall objects. Instead, seek the lowest area to take cover.
- If you are at a lake, get off the water and away from the water until the storm passes.
- Remember, lightning can strike several miles away from the heart of a thunderstorm, so take precautions even when the storm is not above you.
Power outages can be reported on the Sawnee EMC app, by texting OUT to 855-938-3412, calling the Customer Call Center at 770-887-2363 or through the online report outage form.
For more information on power outages in the area, visit the Sawnee EMC Power Outage Map here.
Keep up with weather alerts by checking the National Weather Service website.
If you have a news tip in Forsyth County, contact Justine Lookenott at justine.lookenott@newsbreak.com.
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