Storms blast northeast Ga: one man killed in Hoschton

Tuesday night storms are blamed for the death of a man who was killed when a tree fell on his house in Jackson County: it happened at a home on Cambridge Farm Road in western Jackson County.  The victim is identified this morning as Jason Combs, 29 years old from Hoschton. A strong line of thunderstorms rumbled through the region last night, knocking down trees and power lines. The Jefferson-based Jackson EMC says there were more than 15,000 power outages in the aftermath of Tuesday storms. Jackson EMC crews were working through the overnight and early morning hours to restore the electricity.

A note from the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department says the storm has forced the closure of a popular local park: 

“@accgov: Due to the storms, WOW playground at SE Clarke Park is closed until Fri. (est.) as crews replace mulch & clear mud.”

Georgia Power said there are nearly 174,000 outages across Atlanta and North Georgia Tuesday night.

Channel 2's Nefertiti Jaquez spoke to a man in Gordon County who had to stop and take cover during the storm.

Ryan Cooker pulled over at a gas station where the power was out.

"I've never really seen this before outside the tornado from a few years ago," he said.

He said his truck was swaying back in forth while driving because of the wind.

"I didn't want to take any chances," Cooker said.