Hundreds without power as storms rip through Cedartown Thursday

Strong thunderstorms ripped through the historic College Street and Girard Avenue neighborhood Thursday afternoon, knocking down large trees limbs and tangling up power lines.

The National Weather Service had issued a Significant Weather Advisory for Cedartown at around 4:00 PM.

Georgia Power reported a peak outage of nearly 800 customers in Polk County, mostly in the Esom Hill area and about 50 in downtown Cedartown.

Polk County Public Safety Director Randy Lacey says that he believes the isolated damage was the result of a powerful downburst.

College Street and Girard Avenue were both blocked off for several hours Thursday evening as Public Works crews worked to clear the debris.

Power was fully restored by late Thursday evening.