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Outage Update, 1:45 PM Jan. 12, 2024
We remain #WeatherAware as heavy rain and high winds continue in our service areas. Currently we have 57 total outages affecting 1,081 members. Our crews will continue to work provided conditions are safe enough for them to do so. We ask for your patience as we restore all power as soon as is safely possible.Always remember to stay away from any downed power lines and assume they are still energized. Please report all outages to one of the following numbers: 706-253-0359 OR 706-276-0359 OR 706-864-0359.The photos below illustrate the extremes our crews go to in an effort to restore power. Right of Way Foreman, Clay Elrod, is at Talking Rock Creek where a cross country line is torn down. Clay is standing in the creek cutting the tree off of the downed power line.
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Outage Update, Jan. 10, 12:30 p.m.
Currently we are down to 311 members out of power at 22 separate locations. Crews are working in all areas that are still without power.
Pictured here are Casey Ellis and Collan Sanford of Amicalola EMC (far left) and the crew from Greystone Power (headquartered in Hiram, GA) as they work to replace two broken poles in Hickory Cove, (off of Cove Road) in Pickens County. We appreciate their hard work!
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Outage Update, 9:30 AM Jan. 10, 2024
Our crews have worked through the night and continue to make good progress. Currently we are down to 39 separate outages affecting 1,097 members.
At this time, we have confirmed that we have at least twelve broken poles in ten separate locations. That count may continue to rise. Replacement on these will begin this morning and are in the affected areas:
• Sutallee Ridge Ct, White
• Hearthstone Trl, Canton
• Hickory Cove Rd, Jasper (2 broke poles)
• Wheeler Cabin Rd, Jasper (1 broke pole and two more leaning)
• Circle Drive near Walnut Mtn, Ellijay
• Old Parker Terrace, Ellijay (2 broken poles)
• Rock Creek Ct, Cherry Log
• Carlton Seitz, DahlonegaIn addition, two areas have been identified as areas with limited access and will be more time and labor intensive. Those areas are:
• Elford Rd, Ellijay
• Fletcher Dr, Dahlonega
• N. Garrett Branch Road, EllijayIn addition to our Amicalola EMC crew members, thanks to our statewide mutual aid agreement, the following sister EMCs have sent assistance to us: Carroll EMC, Greystone Power, North GA EMC and Blue Ridge Mountain EMC. We also have multiple contract line crews from PIKE Electric. Real Tree Inc. and Tree Line Services are right of way contractors who are assisting our Amicalola EMC right of way crews.
In total, we have approximately 200 crew members working this restoration effort in the field and there are 40+ employees working behind the scenes in areas such as our Dispatch Control Center, Warehousing, Purchasing, Information Systems, Member Services, Communications, etc.
Thank you for your patience as we continue to strive to get everyone’s power restored. Please remember to stay away from any downed power lines and always assume they are still energized. Please report all outages to one of the following numbers: 706-253-0359 OR 706-276-0359 OR 706-864-0359.
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Outage Update
Our crews have worked so hard and we are now down to 2500 members without power. Crews will continue working through the night but the outages are widespread and restoration will take some time to complete.
Please remember to stay away from any downed power lines and always assume they are still energized.
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Outage Update 3:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m., Jan. 9, 2024
Our crews have made great progress and we are down to 3715 members currently out of power, spread across 153 separate locations. However the location of some of the downed lines will cause the restoration process to be more time and labor intensive. Shown here (at a location near Hwy 136 and Hwy 9 in Dawsonville), are four spans of 3 phase lines torn down in a cross country situation, making it hard to get the proper equipment near the restoration site.
In addition, as we get the larger outages restored (large number of consumers on at once), this will leave dozens of small, scattered outages to be dealt with and the results will slow down. Living in a rural area has so many benefits, but one drawback is the higher number of these cross country lines and the low number of meters per mile of line (9 per mile of line as compared to 32 per mile of line the local investor owned utility has). This sometimes results in longer restoration times. Having said all that, our crews will work through the night to get as many members restored as can be done safely. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
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Outage Update, 12:45 PM Jan. 9, 2024
Our crews continue to work diligently. We currently have 151 outages affecting 5,952 members across our service area. We are aware of at least two broken poles and expect this count to continue to rise. Flooded roads are also being reported across our service area. Please travel with caution.
Remember to stay away from any downed power lines and always assume they are still energized. Please report all outages to one of the following numbers: 706-253-0359 OR 706-276-0359 OR 706-864-0359.
We appreciate your patience as our crews work to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible.
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Outage Update, 10:00 a.m., Jan. 9, 2024
As the storm continues to move through our service area, the following advisories were released by the National Weather Service at 7:14 a.m. this morning. The advisories include all counties within our service area. More detailed information may be found at www.weather.gov.
A High Wind Warning is in effect for portions of Northeast Georgia until 1 PM today for wind gusts over 50 mph. A Wind Advisory is also in effect for other portions of the area. A Flood Watch is in effect through this evening for some areas, with rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches possible.
Currently we have 7,056 locations without power. These outages are widespread and scattered across portions of eight counties. We are aware of at least two broken poles and expect this count to continue to rise.
Please remember to stay away from any downed power lines and always assume they are still energized. Please report all outages to one of the following numbers: 706-253-0359 OR 706-276-0359 OR 706-864-0359. Crews have worked throughout the night and will continue to work provided conditions are safe enough for them to do so. We ask for your patience as we restore all power as soon as is safely possible.
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Forecast calls for severe weather
As we anticipate high winds and storms this evening, take a few moments and make sure you have information handy to report a power outage should one occur. Report power outages correctly and efficiently by calling ONE of these numbers: 706-253-0359 OR 706-276-0359 OR 706-864-0359.
Stay away from any downed power lines and ALWAYS assume they are still energized. Stay clear to stay safe!
As we mentioned earlier today, take a few minutes and gather enough water and shelf stable food items to last a couple of days, should your power be off.
After the storm passes through, once conditions are safe to do so, our crews will be out working restoring any outages that have occurred. Please be cautious and stay alert and safe throughout this evening and into tomorrow.
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Weather Ready Checklist
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Weather alerts from the National Weather Service
According to information released by the National Weather Service, a potent storm system will move into GA Tonight and Tue. Periods of heavy rain with 1 to 3 inches possible with isolated higher amounts. There is also a chance of thunderstorms, with some becoming strong to severe. Strong gusty winds are also expected.
Our crews are always ready and are standing by in the event severe weather occurs. Please be cautious and aware of changing conditions and take all necessary steps to keep yourself and your family safe.