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Tree damages garage

Frances soaks Fayette

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@thecitizennews.com

Fayette County, by and large, was able to escape significant destruction from the first round of tropical storm Frances by lunchtime Tuesday.

With the center of now-tropical depression Frances about three counties southwest of Fayette by mid-afternoon Tuesday, the National Weather Service forecast office in Peachtree City reported a little over two inches of rain had fallen since midnight.

But another two to four inches of rain was headed this way going into late Tuesday evening, after press time, according to forecasters.

Schools were closed Tuesday morning, some roads were blocked by downed trees and power was out for at least a short time nearly everywhere in Fayette.

But no storm-related injuries were reported and all thoroughfares were clear by 11:30 a.m., said Capt. Pete Nelms of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

And as of 2 p.m. no flooding had been reported although emergency officials were keeping their eyes on the usual trouble spots, Nelms said.

In Peachtree City, crews removed roughly 50 trees that had fallen across roads, chopping them up and leaving them off the roadway for later collection, said Public Works Director Tom Corbett.

“It’s been relatively routine,” Corbett said.

Not so for Terry and Pat Inman, who had a rather large tree near their front stoop slice right through the garage of their home in Whitewater Creek Estates early Tuesday morning.

“It sounded like a crashing china cabinet with all the dishes falling out at the same time,” Terry Inman said. The noise woke up Terry and his wife Pat, and at first an interior check showed all was clear. Then Pat peeked into the garage and spotted the damage, Terry Inman said.

Ironically, the Inmans had just escaped the path of then-Hurricane Frances on Saturday after visiting their daughter and son in Florida. At first it appeared unlikely they’d make their flight out of town, Inman said.

Ultimately, they made the flight, only to come home and feel Frances’ wrath in their own home.

At least the kids were relatively unscathed in Florida by both hurricanes Charles and Frances, Inman reported.

The blow of the tree took out the attic that was above the garage and struck one of the family cars that were parked outside the garage, Inman said.

“It could have been much worse,” he said.