Habersham County ice storm: 1,000 trees down, thousands without power

HABERSHAM COUNTY, Ga. - Habersham County is cleaning up after freezing rain and high winds toppled as many as 1,000 trees, blocking roads and knocking out power for thousands.

What we know:

Freezing rain left trees glistening like crystal. The punishing precipitation weighed downed branches, tore down utility lines, snapped poles and sent trees tumbling to the ground.

"There could be as many as 800 to 1,000, countywide," said Jerry Baggett, public works director for Habersham County. "I’ve seen trees on houses, I’ve seen power lines catching on fire, and we weren’t able to get to them because of trees being in the way."

Baggett says downed trees blocked at least 165 roads. "It was hit pretty hard, hardest I’ve ever seen," he said.

Melanie Bellinger, interim director of Habersham County 911 and Emergency Management, said the damage was every bit as bad as the county expected. "The north end of the county was hit extremely hard," Bellinger said.

Icy streets and brutal cold gave county crews all they could handle.

"It slowed everybody down because it was slick, so they needed to take their time to get there, and they had to cut trees out of the way as they went along," Bellinger said.

Thousands of customers lost power after an unforgiving storm blasted Georgia. Ice and high winds hit the northeastern part of the state especially hard, including Habersham County.

What they're saying:

Richard Strickland has not had electricity all weekend. "My power went out Saturday afternoon, about 2:15," Strickland said. "I don’t have any water because I’m on the well. Pump doesn’t work. My refrigerator is out, my freezer, so I’m likely to lose all my food."

Strickland stopped into a Lowe’s in Cornelia to pick up a generator. "I feel like I’m going to have to spend some money. I’d rather not," he said.

Strickland is one of thousands of customers who lost power after an unforgiving storm blasted Georgia. Ice and high winds hit the northeastern part of the state especially hard, including Habersham County.

"Everything froze," said Autumn Palmer. She, her husband, Aaron, and their young daughter, Evy-Joe, have gone without electricity since Sunday afternoon. "We kept power for a while and then slow, we all lost it. We have a toddler and it’s not easy. It’s been a pretty big problem."

"You have vehicles sliding off the road, we had to rescue a few folks who tried to get out when we asked them to stay in," Baggett said. "With the wind coming in tonight and the temperature dropping, there’s still more potential of more trees coming down and more power lines coming down."

What's next:

County officials say the roads are improving around the southern part of Habersham. Roads can still be dicey in the northern section. It’s better to wait until crews can clear them or ice melts.