EMCs Report 30,000 Outages

Tucker, Ga. -- At 7 a.m., Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) are reporting approximately 30,000 customers without power as a result of high winds plus snow and sleet blanketing many parts of north central and northeast Georgia. Officials caution that outages could increase throughout the day as winter weather continues. The EMCs began activating disaster response plans early this week and have been on stand-by to respond quickly to outages.

The winter mix combined with freezing temperatures and high winds is causing trees to fall, breaking power lines and power poles.  So far, outages are widespread and range from the west side of the state and stretch to the east.

Damage assessment and restoration efforts have begun and crews are dispatched to begin repairs. Electric co-ops will follow standard utility practice in repairing and energizing lines by repairing feeder and primary lines first, then addressing secondary and service lines next. This method restores power to the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time.

When weather forecasts called for significant snowfall and dangerous ice accumulations in north and central Georgia, EMCs called upon crews from electric co-ops in unaffected areas of the state as well as for trucks, equipment and additional personnel from surrounding states.

Customers should report power outages by contacting their local EMC and stay away from downed lines and report them immediately to their local utility or call 911.

Georgia EMC is the statewide trade association representing the state’s 41 EMCs, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp.  Collectively, Georgia’s customer-owned EMCs provide electricity and related services to more than four million people, nearly half of Georgia’s population, across 73 percent of the state’s land area.