IRMA’S MARCH THROUGH GEORGIA CLAIMS 3 LIVES

Tropical Storm Irma continued its deadly march through the southeast Monday, claiming the lives of two Georgia men and one woman.

Sandy Springs police and fire personnel were still working to cut through the massive tree that fell on a home in Hardeman Road, killing a 55-year-old man who lived there. The unidentified victim was in bed at the time, said the city’s mayor, Rusty Paul.

About 200 miles south, near Albany, a Worth County man was killed after winds nearing 70 mph swept him off his roof.

An official with the Worth County Emergency Management Association said the man, whose name has not been released, died around 11 a.m. Officials said first responders had a difficult time getting to the man’s house because of debris from the storm.

Firefighters in Sandy Springs reported similar difficulties. They had to wait for Georgia Power to cut power to the home so firefighters could slice through the tree to recover the victim’s body, said Sandy Springs Police Sgt. Sam Worsham.

“We are stressing to our residents that if they have trees surrounding their home — even one which could cause harm if it were to fall on the home — find a different room or level of the home to hang out in while waiting out the storm,” city spokeswoman Sharon Kraun wrote in an email.

In Forsyth County, a woman was killed when a tree fell on a vehicle in a driveway, according to police.

JOHN SPINK / AJC A sleeping Sandy Springs man died Monday after a tree crashed through his home. Rusty Paul, the city’s mayor, wrote in a Facebook post that “a large tree broke and fell on a house, killing the sole occupant while he lay in bed.”