Locals recover from minor storm damage

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A storm moving through Fayette County and east Coweta County in the early morning hours of April 30 brought trees and power lines to the ground but resulted in no reported injuries.

Coweta County Emergency Management Agency Director Jay Jones said the damage came as a storm system moved through the area early Wednesday morning between 3-5 a.m. packing winds of up to 55 miles per hour.

Jones said reports cited 33 trees and six power lines down due to high winds. The storm damage was limited to the eastern portions of Coweta, Jones said, adding that there was one case where a falling tree landed on a house.

Fayette County Fire and Emergency Services spokesman Donnie Davis reported similar storm damage, noting that calls came in concerning numerous trees and a number of power lines down in areas across the county.

Davis and Jones said there were no reports of injuries in the two counties.

In both Coweta and Fayette, the downed power lines were caused by falling trees which sometimes caused temporary road blockages.

Fayette County High School and the nearby Fayetteville Elementary School pushed past the lunchtime hour without power on Wednesday in the wake of heavy overnight winds.

Both schools were continuing with classes and students were fed sandwiches, according to school spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach. Without power, the kitchens at both schools were unable to cook lunch.

The nonprofit 180-degree Farm near Sharpsburg sustained some damage as winds destroyed a 20-foot by 50-foot greenhouse used for seedlings. The greenhouse was valued at $5,000-6,000. Farm co-founder Nicole Tyson said the most of the seedlings survived.

“We been through really crazy weather before,” said co-founder Scott Tyson. “We’ve seen 50 mile per hour winds before with no problem.”

Anyone wishing to lend a hand with replacing the greenhouse can contact Nicole Tyson at www.180degreefarm.org

Founded in 2009, the farm last year gave away more than 24,000 pounds of organic food to Coweta churches, food banks and community organizations.