MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian Kemp says the storm damaged 10 businesses and roughly 20 homes in Baldwin County.
One of those homes is owned by Monica Jones.
Underneath a pile of trees and debris on Downs Street is a home. Jones escaped from under it Sunday morning.
“Only thing I heard was boom! I opened my eyes…and I mean, I had to lay down for a minute because I'm like,' is that a tree? Yeah, it was a tree there,'” Jones said.
Three large trees toppled over her home.
“It took me a minute to grasp what was going on. I heard everyone kept calling my name and calling my name… I mean I couldn’t move,” Jones said.
She says she managed to crawl out through the back of the home by herself.
“Everyone was just so glad to see me come around,” Jones said.
Jones says her neighbors were shocked to see her alive after the tree fell.
“Were you shocked you were alive?” 13WMAZ asked.
“Yeah, I was in shock all day. I was a zombie. I was numb,” Jones said.
Her neighbors were still in shock Tuesday as they stood outside her demolished home.
Surrounding them is a forest of split and twisted trees. Cars were smashed by those toppled trees Sunday. Other homes on the street are heavily damaged. Tuesday, crews moved in and out to clear the damage-- the beginning of what could be weeks worth of cleanup.
“This was my living room. This was my kitchen. This is my spare bedroom right here. But I was back that way,” Jones said.
The only room standing in the home is the back bedroom. Jones says she moved from the couch in her living room to her bed just three hours before the trees crashed onto her home.
“It wasn’t my time. God was with me. He put me in that bedroom because He knew,” Jones said.
Jones says she plans to salvage what she can but most of what’s left in the home is replaceable.
“I got my life. I can restart,” Jones said.
Jones says after cleanup, she plans to move back to Downs Street and put her mobile home where her former home once stood. She says this is a community she’s loved for over 20 years.
“I love this home. Before, I would tell everyone this was my ‘shoebox trailer.’ But God spared my life so I could buy another shoebox trailer,” Jones said laughing.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Jones pay for clean up and to get a new home. Those who feel compelled to donate to her online fundraiser can do so here.