Hurricane Irma Brings Down Trees, Power Lines In Cherokee

CANTON, GA -- For most of Monday, Cherokee County's weather remained subdued, accumulating mostly rain, wind gusts and little damage as Tropical Storm Irma churned through Georgia. However, conditions deteriorated quickly well after sunset, as the county was bombarded with toppled trees and power lines, and thousands of residents reporting they were without power.

As of noon Tuesday, the Cherokee Sheriff's Office says the following road are closed due to trees and/or power lines that are down:

• Highway 140 at Scott Road
• Joe Green Lane at Fate Conn Road
• Wrights Mill Road at Trinity Church Road
• Lakeview Drive north of Riverstone Parkway
• Chief Vann Drive has one lane open
• Sam Nelson Road

That list is remarkably short compared to the 5 a.m. rundown sent by Renee Cornelison, the county's emergency management director. By 5 p.m. Tuesday, the agency handled an additional five calls of trees falling onto homes, according to its most recent situation report. A preliminary check revealed only two of those homes sustained actual damage, and two of those locations will need follow-up visits to determine the extent of the damage. It also received two calls of a tree down in a yard, but there were no obvious signs of damage to the homes on those properties.

Watch: FEMA Says Irma Clean-Up Will Be A Complex And Frustrating Process

As of midday Tuesday, there were about 2,300 without power in Cherokee County. The sheriff's office is pleading with the public to stay put so crews can work to restore power as quick as humanly possible and to ensure roadways are safe for travel (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

"If you don't need to be out on the roads please stay home," the agency added on its Facebook page. "We are having more vehicle accidents reported on the east side of the county causing more traffic issues."

The Cherokee County Office of Emergency Management added the county's fire department, Roads & Bridges Department and various utility crews are across the area working to clear roadways and restore power as quickly as possible.

"This storm was a different animal than most we have in north Georgia," the agency added. "Winds after dark were too extreme and a danger to crews working out in it. Work is being prioritized to clear major roadways first and restore power to larger feeder lines first."

Cherokee County was largely spared from the damage seen in other communities, particularly Sandy Springs and parts of DeKalb County. Two people -- a man in Sandy Springs and a woman in Forsyth County -- were killed Monday when trees fell over onto their home and vehicle, respectively. More than a million customers also remain without power well into Tuesday.

Images via Cherokee Sheriff's Office