EMCs Continue to Make Progress in Power Restoration in the Aftermath of Hurricane Helene
Monday, September 30, 2024
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TUCKER, Ga. – 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.
On the transmission side, steady progress is being made. 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.
Restoration to transmission lines and substations is a complicated and critical step in restoring power. 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. The unprecedented damage seen in the harder hit areas causes these repairs to take a longer amount of time, as trees need to be removed from lines, poles reset and damaged wires replaced.
18 EMCs on the western side of Georgia that have wrapped up restoration in their service areas and have sent crews to fellow EMCs on the eastern side of the state to aid restoration efforts. States that have sent crews to aid in Georgia’s restoration include Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Alabama.
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.
EMCs are doing everything possible to restore power, but temporary relocation is recommended for those that require electricity for medical needs. If relocation is not an option, EMCs recommend securing a generator from a friend or neighbor or seeking help at a local medical facility.
Safety Tips:
Safety continues to be a top priority in the restoration process. We recommend individuals keep a safe distance from crews working and stay away from downed power lines. Those that are using a generator as a temporary power source should follow the recommended generator safety tips, listed below, for the duration of the outage.
Generator Usage and Safety
• If using a generator, follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions and all safety guidelines.
• Never operate a generator, grill, or camp stove indoors, such as in your home, crawlspace, basement, or garage.
• Never connect generators to another power source, such as power lines. The reverse flow of electricity or "backfeed" can electrocute an unsuspecting utility worker.
Outage Information:
A map showing current outages by region, updated every 15 minutes, can be found at http://www.georgiaemc.com/outages. To report power outages and gain more detailed outage and restoration updates, customers should contact their local EMC provider.
About Georgia EMC:
Georgia EMC is the statewide trade association representing the state’s 41 electric cooperatives, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp. Collectively, Georgia’s customer-owned co-ops provide electricity and related services to 4.4 million people, nearly half of Georgia’s population, across 73 percent of the state’s land area. To learn more, visit www.georgiaemc.com and follow us on Facebook and X.
About Georgia Transmission:
Georgia Transmission Corp., a not-for-profit cooperative owned by 38 Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs), owns more than 5,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and more than 780 substations. These facilities deliver power to Georgia’s EMCs providing electricity to more than 4.5 million Georgians. For more information, visit gatransmission.com.
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