ATLANTA–At least three people were killed in the Atlanta area as powerful storms toppled trees and power lines and knocked out power to more than 200,000 customers statewide.
The deaths Thursday night came just days after a powerful tornado killed 126 in Joplin, Mo., and just over a month after an outbreak of tornadoes raked the Southeast, killing more than 300.
Two Decatur women were killed in Atlanta when a tree fell on a truck, police said. Atlanta station WSB-TV reports a 19-year-old man was killed in Mableton when a tree fell on him while he was clearing debris from a driveway.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office identified the two women as 61-year-old Marion Irwin, the driver, and her passenger, 64-year-old Geraldine Grady.
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Heavy rains led the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning for portions of Fulton and DeKalb counties.
Georgia Power spokesman Jeff Wilson said Friday morning that 65,000 of its customers remained without power, 57,000 of them in metro Atlanta.
Georgia Electrical Membership Corporation reported that about 5,300 EMC customers, mostly in metro Atlanta and west of the metro area, also were without power.
High winds also knocked down trees in the Macon area. In Columbus, at least a dozen trees were knocked down around town, dispatchers said. One struck a house, but no injuries were reported.
Numerous interstate ramps and surface streets in metro Atlanta remained flooded before daybreak Friday, including the ramp from I-85 southbound to Camp Creek Parkway near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones said a tree toppled onto a UPS truck, catching it on fire.
Authorities say the stormy weather led to delays of more than two hours for flights leaving Atlanta.
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