Storms down trees, knock out power to thousands across Hall Co.

GAINESVILLE - A strong storm that tore across Hall County Wednesday afternoon downed numerous trees and knocked out power for more than 5,000 Jackson EMC and 1,300 Georgia Power customers at one point.<br /> <br /> Jackson EMC spokeswoman Bonnie Jones said the company's outages had been reduced to about 345 by 4:15 p.m. <br /> <br /> At the height of the storm, there were numerous reports of trees across Atlanta Highway in the Johnson High School area, as well as a tree blocking the right southbound lane of I-985 below Exit 16 or Mundy Mill. <br /> <br /> Hall County Fire Marshal Scott Cagle also confirmed several other areas were affected by downed trees and lines, including Price Road, Poplar Springs Road, Browns Bridge Road and Mathis Road.<br /> <br /> Hall County emergency dispatchers fielded numerous calls, including a report of a tornado in the Chadwick Drive area off of Atlanta Highway around 2:42 p.m.<br /> <br /> Cagle said new information from firefighters on the scene revealed two structures sustained what appeared to be minor damage.<br /> <br /> "Although we are certainly not meteorologists, firefighters stated it appeared to have been damage from very high winds. Per the NWS no tornado activity was reported or shown, but did confirm a strong thunderstorm passing thru our area during that time," Cagle said.<br /> <br /> There were no initial reports of any injuries. Cagle said dispatchers continued to get calls of trees down in south Hall County into the afternoon.