Neighborhoods Begin Clean Up After Storm

As the morning skies cleared, the neighbors who live around Normandy Road and Lake Valley Road on Macon’s northside, began to walk the streets and stare in wonder at what happened.

Lynne Williams and her daughter, say they didn’t have enough time to realize what was happening when they heard trees cracking in their front yard.

“We just jumped and grabbed each other and all this stuff just started falling. It sounded awful,” Williams explained.

Now, the three trees that once stood in their front yard, are laying across the roof of their house, destroying nearly everything inside.

But where one house is destroyed from a tree falling on it, the house right next door may be untouched.

“It just happened so quick…I’m devestated. I really am.”

Giant trees had to be cleared from the roads to allow emergency vehicles through.

J.C. Jones stands in his back yard, looking at the two trees that fell into his house. One tree, nearly three feet in diameter, crashed through his living room wall, and is now laying on top of his sofa. The second tree, is hanging just above he and his wife’s bed. Jones says he is thankful they woke up to the sound of the storm, otherwise the tree above their bed, could have killed them.

“I guess your life kinda flashes in front of you. It was dark, so you don’t really know where to turn when you start hearing stuff falling and crashing into the house. So we were very lucky,” Jones says.

It seems the entire neighborhood is out walking around by 9:00a.m. Some taking pictures, most just looking around, thankful no one was hurt in all the mess.

Firefighters and E.M.A. officials have begun to clear the trees from the road, so some people have been able to leave to get bags of ice to help their food keep. 

By 10:00a.m. some lawns have been cleared of the large trees, and the sound of chainsaws is all around, as crews slowly make their way through the tangled mess of branches and downed power lines.

Carlton Crews has lived in this neighborhood for more than 30 years. He says he told his insurance company they should take down the tree in his front yard, before a storm comes and knocks it over. The storm got to the tree first. Now he has to clean up a mess in his front yard.

“We’re alive, there ain’t nothing that can’t be replaced,” Crews said.