GAINESVILLE - The sound of chain saws broke the neighborhood quiet as homeowners begin cleaning up after a freak windstorm swept through subdivisions off Mt. Vernon Road Tuesday afternoon.
Brian Pierce on Alexandria Drive got a phone call and came home from work to find a backyard hardwood leaning against his house.
"One of the neighbors called and said I needed to get home pretty quick," Pierce said. "There's trees everywhere and there's a big limb on the back porch and it took part of the extreme corner of the house off."
No one was hurt in the Mt. Vernon Point Subdivision and in neighboring subdivisions.
Around 200 trees were reported down in what witnesses think was a tornado that struck shortly before 1 p.m., but there was not a watch or warning in effect; trees went through roofs at two houses on Corinth Drive.
Jill Patton was at home when the winds hit.
"We were in the basement. I was one the computer and the electricity flickered and came back on and then immediately went off again," she said. "The wind sheared up so quickly and so fast; it only lasted about a minute and it was over with."
Patton said neighbors quickly started checking on each other to make sure everyone was all right.
"This is a great neighborhood and we all kind of check on each other, we came out to make sure everybody was all right."
Fire Marshal Scott Cagle said there was minor damage to most of the homes.
"Looking at the damage, most of the trees we've seen are laid over in the same direction, which points to straight line winds," Cagle said. "The Chief, (Chief David Kimbrell) has talked to the national Weather Service and they did not pick up any tornadic activity on the radar.
"They're still looking but their early prediction is just a microburst, straight line winds."
Friday
October 18th, 2024
2:16AM
