10/01/2024
EMCs are seeing progress and have restored power to nearly half of the affected meters statewide. Georgia’s EMCs are reporting 217,000 EMC members without power as of 3 p.m. today. This is down from approximately 435,000 following the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene. EMCs ask for your patience as several more days of outages are expected due to the extent of the damage. Some areas are expected to be out of power for at least a full week and even longer in the hardest hit areas.
In the last 24 hours, Georgia Transmission has restored service to more than 40 additional substations and continues repair of the high-voltage transmission lines. Electric service is unable to be delivered to individual homes and businesses until these long-distance, high-voltage transmission and substation facilities are brought back online.
Georgia Transmission, along with the other members of the state’s Integrated Transmission System, have brought in additional crews with specialization in electrical transmission due to the extensive and wide-spread damage caused by Helene. EMC crews continue work to repair the main distribution and tap lines, downline from substations, in preparation to receive power as substations and transmission lines come back on.
18 EMCs on the western side of Georgia that have wrapped up restoration in their service areas and have sent crews to EMCs on the eastern side of the state to aid restoration efforts, alongside crews from 13 states already assisting.
Logistics can become a challenge when hundreds of additional employees join the effort. The hardest hit co-ops have called on storm service groups to set up temporary housing and feed the additional crews. EMCs have received an outpouring of support from community members as well, many volunteering to provide meals and laundry services for EMC employees.
Full press release: https://georgiaemc.com/news/683350/EMCs-Continue-to-Make-Progress-in-Power-Restoration-in-the-Aftermath-of-Hurricane-Helene.htm
