Electric Membership Cooperatives (EMCs) Continue to Restore Service
TUCKER, Ga., Feb. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Since 5 a.m. today, EMCs have restored power to 26,500 customers in isolated and hard-to-reach areas in northeast Georgia, a portion of the state which suffered severe damage following a winter storm which left significant ice accumulation on trees and power lines.
As of 8 p.m., there are approximately 31,000 customers who remain without power, down from 134,000 at the height of the storm.
Restoration has been especially difficult as many areas have been impassable due to trees and other debris in roadways and on electric lines, limiting the crews' access to damaged areas.
In addition, the rate at which service is restored varies based upon the level of difficulty of each repair and other factors such as extent of damage and location of the outage. For instance, power lines in some remote areas do not always follow a paved roadway; many lines cross rugged terrain presenting unique challenges for experienced line workers.
As a result, hundreds of local EMC crews, EMC line workers from other parts of the state, private contract crews, additional right-of-way crews, and crews from Virginia, Alabama and Florida have worked non-stop to restore service.
Damage has been most severe in Forsyth, Hall, Gwinnett, Lumpkin, Dawson, Cherokee, Jackson, Banks, Barrow, Habersham and White counties. Most EMCs estimate that the majority of customers will be restored within 24-48 hours, while some outages will take longer due to the extent of damage and because they are located in isolated areas.
The public should be especially careful of areas where line trucks and utility vehicles are working and stay clear of roadways.
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 4.4 million people, half of Georgia's population, across 73 percent of the state's land area.
SOURCE Georgia EMC
Related Links
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article