Man hit by tree treated, then released

By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

The winter storm that struck Fayette County over the weekend resulted in at least one unusual injury, but it apparently was not a serious one.

According to reports, a man was hit by a tree in a yard just off White Road Sunday morning. He was taken to Fayette Community Hospital at about 11 a.m. and released at about 2:40 that afternoon.

Hospital spokesperson Ryan Duffy said that the patient was not from this area and she could not release his name or condition because she had no way to reach him.

No serious injuries relating to the weather have been reported, Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services Capt. Pete Nelms said.

Authorities had a very busy Sunday, however, due to a large number of trees and branches that were blocking roadways and had to be cleared.

The county's emergency operations center was activated Sunday, and there was a brief problem with telephone communications that was quickly resolved, Nelms said.

One family was sheltered Sunday due to a lack of power at home and a family member's medical condition that required electricity.

The Red Cross organized a spot for the family at the Holiday Inn Express in Fayetteville. Nelms commended both the Red Cross and Holiday Inn Express for their efforts during the storm.

Also, during the height of this weekend's ice storm, nearly 10,000 residents in Fayette and Coweta counties were without power.

That's the word from Coweta-Fayette EMC president and CEO Michael Whiteside, who said his crews worked feverishly Saturday night and Sunday to restore power to chilly customers.

The outages were concentrated south of Fayetteville, according to Whiteside, mainly in the Brooks and Senoia areas.

But as icy limbs came crashing to earth Sunday, outages spread to other areas of the county, he added.

By Monday morning, power was restored to all but 200 customers and Whiteside was glad to see the sun shining Monday.

“We've been through two storms in the last week. I hope Mother Nature is through with us,” he said.