MACON, Ga. — The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado did hit north Macon-Bibb County last Tuesday.
Stephen Bailey and his wife own one of the several homes in the Thornwood neighborhood that took a hit from a tornado, now confirmed as an EF-1.
"I went to my computer, I brought up 13WMAZ radar. Ben was showing the map, and when he pointed to it, I said, 'That’s us!'” he recalled.
"My chimney got tore down, the back of my garage was knocked out, and the side of my house got tore up pretty bad," Bailey said about the damage to his home.
A week into the cleanup process and working with his insurance company, he says things are moving along.
"Well, this past week has been, I’d have to say it’s been a long week. We didn’t get our electricity back until Friday, and then, of course, we have the tree removers -- they’ve shown up today, which is moving stuff along," Bailey continued.
Despite the natural disaster, he says the community has been tight-knit.
"Neighbors. Friends and neighbors have stopped by, outreach of other folks have called and said, ‘Can I help you?’ and we really appreciate that," he said.
If you’ve been affected by the storm, reach out to your insurance company.
Experts recommend saving the receipts from anything you pay for and reaching out to emergency disaster relief organizations.