Two men were killed early Saturday morning as tropical storm-force winds from Hurricane Matthew ripped through Bulloch County, leaving a tangle of downed trees, fallen power lines and property damage.

Thousands were without power for most of the night, and work crews from Georgia Power and Excelsior EMC could take several days before power is fully restored in the area. As of 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Georgia Power was reporting 151 outages, affecting 11,263 customers in the Bulloch County area, while Excelsior reported 9,681 customers affected in Bulloch.

The unprecedented storm in Bulloch County also brought tragedy. Matthew Ward, 28, was killed when a tree fell on his truck on Burkhalter Road, said Bulloch County Deputy Coroner Richard Pylant. "He had just got married two weeks ago."

James Altman was killed when two trees fell on his Clay Road home, Pylant said. The elderly man was wheelchair bound, he said.

Bulloch County Correctional Institute work crews, sheriff's deputies, police officers and people from all other public safety agencies worked in the face of the brutal storm until around 2 a.m., when the danger forced them to take a break, said Bulloch County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jared Akins.

"Trees were falling in front of and behind patrol cars. Trees and power lines were coming down while crews were clearing roads," he said.

Everyone returned to clean-up efforts around daybreak.

"There are still a great deal of trees and power lines down," he said. "Deputies have been teamed up with the Bulloch County work camp (Correctonal Institute) and those guys deserve all the credit in the world, as hard as they worked."

The worst of the storm rattled the area from 6 to 8 a.m., said Bulloch County Public Safety Director Ted Wynn.

“We had 55 to 60 miles per hour sustained winds, and 25 to 30 homes (significantly) damaged," he said.

Power outages affected most residents and businesses throughout the county.

"Please be patient as workers try to restore power," Wynn said.

The trees and fallen power lines will take time to clear, and while some had power restored Saturday, it could "take days" or longer before power is fully restored, he said

Bulloch County was drenched with more than five inches of rain, he said. In Brooklet, and southern areas of the county, eight inches or more fell in some places.

Statesboro police were busy as well, with extra shifts on duty, said Cpl. Jake Saxon.

In spite of the vicious storm, routine calls poured in, as well as emergency calls due to the storm.

"It blew my mind," he said.

Officers fielded complaint calls about fireworks and domestic disputes in addition to storm-related issues. 

He asked residents to stay home, if possible, while clean-up efforts were done, and said to use caution at traffic lights that may not be working. Traffic laws require drivers to treat a non-functioning traffic light as a four-way stop.

"We have officers at the major intersections, but cannot man every one," he said.

Akins said the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew could take weeks to clear away.

"I have never seen (weather) like that," he said.