EMCs Restoring Power Throughout Georgia

TUCKER, Ga, Feb. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As of 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 12, the electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) are reporting approximately 73,000 customers currently without power. Throughout the day, power has been restored to more than 45,000 customers.

The reduction in outages would be even greater but while some areas were repaired, other areas experienced new outages. Nonetheless, crews have been stationed in north and central Georgia and made great progress. Outages have been caused by heavy snowfall and ice forming in some areas which is weighing down tree limbs causing them to fall on power lines.

More than 200 additional crews from unaffected areas in Georgia and from at least 7 other states are helping EMCs restore power.  In anticipation of the storm, EMCs began Monday reviewing crew assignments so they could quickly dispatch help to affected areas. In storm situations, EMCs follow their disaster plans which lay the groundwork for quickly getting help from sister EMCs if it is needed.  All employees and contract crews have been on a heightened state of readiness and were quickly mobilized to implement the restoration procedures.

If customers are using generators, please follow proper safety precautions and place them outside the home and away from garages.  Never connect generators to another power source, such as power lines or outlets.  The reverse flow of electricity or "backfeed" can electrocute an EMC line worker attempting to restore power.

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, half of Georgia's population, across 73 percent of the state's land area.

Georgia Transmission, a not-for-profit cooperative owned by 38 EMCs, owns more than 3000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and more than 600 substations.  These facilities deliver power to Georgia's EMCs who serve nearly 50 percent of Georgia's population (4.5 million).

SOURCE Georgia EMC

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