Storm knocks out power in Hixson

photo A tree rests on a house on Hill Street in Dalton, Ga., after a powerful storm blew down trees and branches around Dalton and Northwest Georgia on Saturday afternoon. Power was out in much of the region. Staff Photo by Mariann Martin/Chattanooga Times Free Press

A fast-moving thunderstorm knocked down trees and power lines in Chattanooga and the tri-state region this afternoon but no serious injuries were immediately known.

A tree fell at the north end of the Olgiati Bridge in Chattanooga and blocked traffic, a dispatcher said, but was quickly cleared away. Power is out in Hixson around Highway 153 and EPB crews are working, he said.

Elsewhere inside and outside Hamilton County, dispatchers reported trees down and power out.

A Murray County, Ga., dispatcher said residents in the Ramhurst and Ballground communities took the brunt of the storm there. Some believed they saw a tornado but it wasn't immediately confirmed.

Across the state line in Polk County, Tenn., a dispatcher said, "some of our guys on the fire department saw funnel clouds, but none hit the ground."

Walker and Whitfield counties are still assessing damage and could provide no information, though a dispatcher said trees are down all over the city and much of Dalton is without power.

"Right now we're slammed to the max,"a dispatcher said.

A Dalton resident said a power pole is down on College Drive and the street is blocked.

Catoosa and Dade counties also reported trees and power lines down. Emergency workers were still checking for injuries or severe damage.

The National Weather Service said the storm might have 60-mph winds and quarter-sized hail.

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