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'We were lucky': Cochran community reflecting on powerful severe storm

According to Bleckley County emergency management director Matthew Kelley, the city took a hit by a possible tornado.

COCHRAN, Ga. — The wave of storms that passed through Wednesday night damaged several homes, a university, and a funeral home in Cochran.

We went to Cochran to show you the damage.

Mother nature made its way across the City of Cochran Wednesday night.

"The lights started flashing in a way they never flashed before," David Allen said.

Allen sat in his basement with his wife and dogs when everything hit his home all at once.

"It knocked a window in the basement open, and one of the trees, limbs come through the dining room ceiling, and it's sticking about 2-3 feet down, and the water was just pouring into the house," Allen said.

Allen's neighbor, Tommy Harris, said they had no warning other than natural instincts to take shelter.

"I just noticed the weather change real quick. I ran inside and told all my kids to run to the other side of the house," Harris said.

It lasted about 20 seconds. Now, he has two trees crushing his roof, but his family is safe.

"I'd give my life up for them any day. It didn't bother me. I just wanted them to be safe," Harris said.

According to Bleckley County emergency management director Matthew Kelley, the city took a hit by a possible tornado. Roadways are mostly clear now, and Kelley says there were minor injuries. Middle Georgia State University's Associate Vice President David Sims says the storm brushed the east side of their campus.

"In addition to no one injured, we also had power restored very early this morning, which is great news! Our cafeteria is back up and running," Simms said.

But Caleb Chele came out of his dorm to a smashed surprise -- a tree had hit his car.

"It's really bad that it happened. However, I think it's really a big learning experience not to park so close to trees next time," Chele said.

Broken street signs, snapped powerlines, and road closures are a reminders of an experience some might say they'll never forget.

"It's going to be a long, slow procedure it looks like, but like I said, we were lucky we were spared," Allen said.

Cleanup crews have been moving fast. They've already removed the logs from some areas. 

Middle Georgia State University's Cochran campus plans to reopen Monday. They had some roof damage, and they lost about 100 trees. The storm did not damage any of their other campuses.

Power crews say they restored the electricity in downtown businesses first. Now, they're working on the rest of the city. They say all power should be restored in the next day or two.

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