HARALSON COUNTY, Ga. — The National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday afternoon that two tornadoes touched down in Haralson County on Monday night, leaving a trail of damage behind.
The strong storms knocked down trees and power lines onto roads and houses throughout the county. The damage was enough for the Haralson County school district to cancel classes Tuesday.
[PHOTOS: Storms cause extensive damage in south Fulton County]
"To the person on the ground, whether it’s an 80 mile an hour from straight line wind or 80 mile an hour wind from a tornado, it’s irrelevant. It’s going to take trees down," said Keith Stellman with the National Weather Service.
Fire Marshal Brian Walker says within minutes of the storm hitting, calls at the 911 center started pouring in, with more than 400 overnight.
"Ranging in anywhere from what you see here, tree down to power lines down. We did have two homes with people trapped," Walker said.
One of those calls came from the home of David Kimball, 55.
Kimball was seriously injured when a tree fell on his house in Buchanan, a fire official said.
Walker told Channel 2 Action News the tree fell on the home on Tallapoosa Street as the storm rolled through Monday night.
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Kimball and his daughter, Magen Fincher, were hurt when the tree fell.
Channel 2's Sophia Choi spoke to Fincher, who said it all happened in an instant.
"The next thing I knew I was on the ground, and I was panicking because I couldn't move," Fincher said.
She was treated and released from a hospital. Walker has serious injuries, including several broken ribs and a fractured ankle. He had surgery Tuesday at Atlanta Medical Center.
"We were real blessed. That's the only thing I can say, we were blessed," she said.
A gas station near Tallapoosa Street on Highway 27 sustained a lot of damage, Walker said.
Power was still out in many areas of the county as of Tuesday afternoon. The power companies said they hope to have everyone online by midnight.
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