Strong storms hit Florida, Georgia

CHIPLEY, Florida (CNN) -- Strong storms passed through parts of Florida and Georgia Thursday morning, damaging buildings, killing one person and injuring at least 21. Most of the injuries were minor.

The storms struck the eastern part of Washington County in the Florida Panhandle before dawn, said a spokeswoman for the county emergency operations center.

"Our hospital's pretty busy," said Lynne White, the EOC spokeswoman.

A spokesman for Northwest Community Hospital in Chipley said 10 people had been treated there, including one fatality. One man died in the hospital and another person was being taken by helicopter to Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, 35 miles north.

A team of Florida state and county officials was flying over the county to assess the damage.

The storms struck at 4 a.m. CST and resulted in power outages, which crews were working to repair later in the morning, said the EOC spokeswoman.

The board of county commissioners declared a local state of emergency for Washington County, 50 miles north of Panama City, Florida.

In adjacent Jackson County, 50 to 60 homes were damaged, three trailers were flattened, power lines and trees were downed, but not one was injured, said Wendell Taylor, county administrator.

At 6:15 a.m. EST, storms swept through Grady County, Georgia, causing 10 minor injuries and damaging 13 houses and four barns, said Bob Van Landingham, a spokesman for the county emergency operations center in Whigham.

County spokesman Scott Newberry said the storm packed a wallop. "There's 10 to 15 trees in just one area that I saw that are snapped off -- pine trees and a bunch of pecan trees," he said.

Damage estimates were ongoing, and deputies were blocking the roads "to keep out the sightseers."

The storms continued into neighboring Decatur County, where there were two minor injuries, said a spokesman for the county.

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