MACON, Ga. — Early Monday morning as many people were asleep, heavy rainfall and strong winds blew from the northwest into Bibb County.
So far, it appears that north Macon sustained most of the damage, particularly in the Zebulon Road area.
The storm bowed the Plantation Center Road sign turning it into a U-shape.
A downed power line forced officers to block off Zebulon Road near the Bass Road intersection and drivers had to turn around.
The Walgreens on Zebulon Road also sustained a lot of indoor damage.
It looks like something out of a movie set with beams dangled from the ceiling, while the winds blew the front door in at least 20 feet.
Shopping carts were knocked over on their sides and sodas littered the floor.
The building itself withstood the storm and the store manager said he sent workers home for the day.
One block down Zebulon Road, fire crews responded to the Walmart.
Their store manager said he smelled gas and the fire department said they found a gas leak caused by the storm, and shut it off.
The manager says the winds blew out some of the skylights and damaged part of the roof, also causing the store to close.
Huddersfield Road is just a few miles away from Zebulon Road, and Macon-Bibb emergency crews brought in a backhoe to clear two downed trees.
They had to get those out of the road to tackle a tree that fell on a house.
The homeowners were up at 4:30 a.m. surveying the damage.
That's just part of the damage Macon-Bibb crews were handling early Monday and their long work day is far from over.
County spokesman Chris Floore said while he was out with EMA Director Spencer Hawkins, he saw a lot of neighbors helping each other.
He says that's exactly what people need to be doing right now.
"We do want to make sure people keep that six feet apart, but if you have a chainsaw and know someone who has a tree down, we are certainly asking that a little help can be given while still maintaining that distance," said Floore. "This is certainly a difficult time as we have stayed apart, but I think there are ways we can come together here."
And remember, if you have to be on the roads and you come to a stop light that's out, you should treat it like a four-way stop.
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