Tropical Storm Michael swept out of Georgia before sunrise, leaving behind a trail of destruction in its wake.
The powerful storm claimed the life of an 11-year-old girl in Southwest Georgia, which appeared to be the hardest hit part of the state.
Utility crews are scrambling to restore power to more than 300,000 customers.
Michael charged into Georgia as a Category 3 hurricane, the first storm of that strength to make a direct hit on the state since 1898, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz.
It weakened as it pushed across the state, downing trees and power lines.
A spokeswoman for the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency declined to comment early this morning saying disaster response officials needed more information to assess the extent of the damage.
