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Crews close to finishing cleanup from storms
Gainesville will be picking up tree debris this week
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Brett Mosely moves heavy limbs from a fallen tree on Rosecliff Terrace Monday afternoon as city of Gainesville crews clean up storm damage throughout the city.

Gainesville, Hall County and state crews are wrapping up the cleanup after Saturday’s strong thunderstorm, and officials say all trees that were knocked down have been removed from area roads.

“Our guys worked 20 hours Saturday and Sunday just to make the roads passable,” said David Dockery, Gainesville public works director.

Jackson EMC restored power by Sunday to customers affected by the weather. At the peak of the storm, some 19,000 customers were left in the dark. Locally, Gainesville and Hall County got the brunt of the storm.

Col. Jeff Strickland, Hall County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said his department responded to numerous reports of downed trees and power outages, but he and emergency dispatch officials said everything was under control Monday.

Meanwhile, Georgia Department of Transportation crews finished clearing state roadways Monday, said DOT spokeswoman Teri Pope. Two crews were removing downed tree limbs and debris from Ga. 52 in Lumpkin County and at several White County locations, she said.

“We expect to wrap up today,” she said Monday.

Dockery said while city crews would likely finish their work today, there is still the job of removing tree debris from residents’ yards.

The solid waste division will be collecting tree debris at curbside through this week, he said.

Dockery said residents with more than a cubic yard of waste should contact the solid waste division at 770-532-0493 to make arrangements for pickup.