Last night's storm in Cartersville left a mark with extensive power outages and structure fires that jolted the city's emergency services into a night of heavy-duty response. While some residents may still be without power, the city's Electric Department is working to restore it. According to the City of Cartersville's official statement, Electric Director Tom McKee mentioned, "At the peak of the storm, we had lost power to approximately 2,300 customers." However, nearly all have had service restored, and now fewer than five customers continue to wait for their power to be fully restored.
The Fire Department faced a challenging night, with calls flooding in from 10:01 p.m. last night. Fire Chief Hagen Champion told the City of Cartersville website, "Our firefighters, along with Bartow County Fire and Emergency crews, worked for over five hours to extinguish the fire" at Cornerstone Worship Center. The effort between the city firefighters and county emergency personnel was a scene of orchestrated chaos. Although they fought valiantly, the Cornerstone Worship Center could not be saved, and officials have yet to determine the cause of the fire.
The heroes of the Public Works Department have been out clearing tree-littered streets and answering calls for debris pickup. The aftermath of last night is sprawled across sidewalks and curled around street lamps, and cleanup crews are working tirelessly to make the roads navigable again. as reported by the City of Cartersville, residents are advised to place broken branches curbside, and the team will address them as quickly as possible.
As cleanup continues, drivers are urged to slow down and watch for debris that might still be hidden in the streets. "Drivers are urged to exercise caution this morning as smaller branches may still be in the roadways," the City of Cartersville warned. Fortunately, casualties remained at zero on both fronts, civilian and first responder. The City of Cartersville has expressed its gratitude for the community's patience while the cleanup campaign soldiers onwards.
