Massive oaks blocked Georgia Highway 142 in Newborn today after a powerful line of storms swept through Newton County about 1 a.m.

"We got hit  hard, but nobody was hurt," Mayor Roger Sheridan said.

The wind uprooted some trees and twisted tops from others as the massive storm system that blasted the South moved through the county early today.

The storm took the roof from Newborn City Hall. Crews were putting plastic over the hole, Sheridan said.

Georgia Department of Transportation crews were working to clear Highway 42, and utility crews were working to restore service to the community.

"We've got a lot of crews working," Sheridan said.

The mayor said that one woman had a close call as a tree crashed into her home over her bedroom. When she sat up, the limb touched her head.

"Nobody was hurt, That's the main thing," Sheridan said.

Several residents reported they scrambled for cover at the approach of the storm. 

"We heard it and ran for cover," said Kristi Hallav, a Newborn resident whose house was undamaged but whose property was littered with debris and downed trees. Her dogs and doghouses were not struck by trees as they fell, and her car sustained a hood dent and was blocked by trees felled by the wind.

The storm blew through in 90 seconds.

"We had enough time to dive into the hallway," she said. "It's going to be a mess to clean up."

Next door, Gene Downs was assessing damage on his property. His house, which was built in 1897, had a hole punched in the roof, but was otherwise undamaged. He was going nowhere, though, for a few days because of the pines that blocked the driveway.

Downs noted an upside to the storm: I was going to trim my crape myrtles. I won't have to, now."

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