LAURENS COUNTY, Georgia — Two people are dead in Laurens County in the wake of Hurricane Helene, according to EMA Director Bill Laird.
Coroner Nathan Stanley said, just before 4 a.m., a tree fell on the highway on Highway 441 South. This stopped a tractor-trailer truck carrying a couple from Kentucky.
A second tree then fell on the truck and killed a woman, Angela Edwards, 48, inside. Her husband was treated for minor injuries.
Stanley said that, two and a half hours later, another person died after a tree fell on a home in Clairmont Drive.
Doug Brownlee, 58, died inside the home. His wife, who was also inside, was not injured. Laird said they had at least 140 “tree down” calls throughout the night.
The two deaths in Laurens County are a part of the full death toll to at least six in Central Georgia.
Wheeler County Coroner Ted Mercer said two people died after a suspected tornado flipped a mobile home.
Wheeler County EMA director Steve Adams says the two people were found in a field on Adams Cemetery Road, about 100 yards from where their mobile home was.
Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran said two people in Washington County are also dead. The details on their deaths are currently unclear. 13WMAZ will update when more information becomes available.
Helene has since been downgraded to a tropical storm as it continues to move through Georgia. There is widespread damage across the region with trees and power lines down in several counties in Central Georgia.
13WMAZ will provide additional updates when they are made available.
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