BLACKSHEAR, Ga. – Hurricane Helene left a Blackshear firefighter dead and brought significant damage to Pierce County, Ga. overnight Thursday into Friday morning.
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Veteran firefighter Leon Davis was killed Friday morning when a tree fell on the cab of a truck as he was leaving a scene after responding to a downed powerline, according to local police.
Strong winds brought many trees overnight, leading to power outages for nearly everyone in Pierce County Friday.
“The wind was beating on my windows,” said Blackshear resident Tanner Cristobal.
“The wind started picking up really big, and then [I] just started hearing all kind of snapping,” said resident Shayne Taylor.
People in the area told News4JAX they were surprised at the intensity of Helene.
“This is the worst that I think, that I’ve been through since I was a small child,” said Shelly Herndon.
“Never been through anything like this before. I think it shocked a lot of people around here,” said Austin Taylor.
Brothers Shayne and Austin Taylor’s home on Main St. was surrounded by falling trees overnight— alarming them to the point that they drove away as the storm raged. Thankfully, the interior of the house was spared and no one at the property was hurt.
“We have a total of 12 to 13 down that just laid over,” Shayne Taylor said. “One hit the corner of the house, and the one took the carport out. And my mother’s car still underneath.”
Powerlines and structures are damaged throughout the area.
“The neighbor’s pine tree decided to take a rest on the shop during Hurricane Helene,” Herndon said.
But repairs and cleanup were soon underway. The Taylor brothers said it will take community for the town to get back on its feet.
Other than the firefighter who unfortunately died serving his community Friday morning, no one else was hurt during the storm, according to a lieutenant with the local police department. However, he did say some older people were hurt by slip-and-fall-type injuries during storm cleanup.