Crews continue to work hard to restore power. Currently, we have 10,420 out of power; down from 27,583 on Monday night. Thank you for your patience as we work to restore all power as soon as is safely possible.
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Power restoration update
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Outage restoration progress
Sept 13, 2017
We currently have 13,436 members out of power. This is down from 27, 583 that were recorded at the height of the storm Monday night. As previously reported, we have 150+ extra line crew and right of way personnel from contractors and sister EMCs that are working to help us. This is in addition to the approx. 100 outside line and right of way personnel employed by Amicalola EMC. Our service area spans parts of 10 counties and we serve over 48,000 locations. Current outages may be viewed at https://www.amicalolaemc.com or by downloading our mobile app. We continue to ask for your patience as we work to restore all power as soon as is safely possible. Here’s the latest update from Georgia EMC on statewide power restoration
EMCs MAKING TREMENDOUS PROGRESS
ON POWER RESTORATIONTUCKER, Ga. – As of 5 a.m., EMCs are reporting 236,000 customers without power, down from a peak of 550,000 outages on Monday night. At this time, EMCs are directing a massive restoration effort of more than 4,000 personnel, including 1,000 workers from out of state.
Since Monday, EMCs have worked in tough conditions to replace spans of downed power lines, hundreds of destroyed power poles and other equipment. The number of states providing EMC and contract crews has grown to 14 thus far and includes Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. They are working side-by-side with local EMCs to make outage repairs as quickly as safety practices allow.
Tropical Storm Irma brought six hours of 30 mph winds, with gusts of more than 60 mph, causing unprecedented damage and outages in every corner of the state. As a result, restoration will span several more days despite the finest efforts of local crews and others from across the country.
Members may want to consider making alternate plans if necessary and follow updates from their local EMC in newspapers, tv and radio, social media and EMC web sites to get the latest on progress in their area.
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.,,
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EMCs FORGE AHEAD WITH POWER RESTORATION
TUCKER, Ga. – As of 3 p.m., Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) are reporting approximately 347,000 customers without power, down from a peak of 550,000 customers late Monday night. EMC crews have worked throughout the day conducting damage assessments in areas that were previously impassable to make great strides in power restoration.
Due to the size and widespread nature of this storm, and the level of damage in every part of the state, the electric cooperatives have arranged to bring in 3,000 additional crews from 13 states, bringing the total number of extra personnel in Georgia to 4,000 to help co-ops expedite the restoration process.
Consequently, Georgia will become a temporary home in the days ahead to EMC and contract crews from Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Caroline, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
EMCs stress that damage from Irma is a historic outage event in Georgia and it will take days to completely replace or repair power lines and power poles in every corner of the state. Unlike a summer thunderstorm which is short-lived and localized, Hurricane Irma battered entire EMC service territories for hours upon hours. For that reason, restoration will span several days and some members may be without power through the weekend. Members should follow local EMC restoration updates provided in newspapers, TV and radio, social media and EMC web sites and make alternate arrangements if necessary.
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, nearly half of Georgia’s population, across 73 percent of the state’s land area. -
Power restoration update
After a long night of high winds, line crews resumed work at 6:00 a.m. this morning. We currently have 27,582 members without power, all across our 10 county service area. We are working now to clear roadways to gain access to our lines in many areas. The next step is to clear trees off the lines and survey the extent of damages. We have all line crew and right of way employees working, as well as several contract crews that came in to assist. We will gain additional crews to assist, as EMCs and contractors in other parts of the state, and other states, release them to us. This will be a massive undertaking. In many areas, the destruction is severe. We ask for your patience and understanding as we work hard to get the job done.
As always, please stay away from any downed power lines. ALWAYS assume they are still energized and stay clear.
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Suspending power restoration efforts until conditions improve
Monday, Sept. 11, 2017 7:30 P.M.
Due to extremely dangerous conditions, we have been forced to suspend power restoration for the time being. Conditions are too dangerous for our crews to work in and the risk for personal injury is too high. We will resume power restoration as soon as we safely can.
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Informational video on hurricane preparedness
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What members can do to prepare for storms
What Members Can Do
• Know the location of your emergency supply kit (check the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org for a complete listing of what you should include), the amount of food supply on hand, and the location of insurance policies.
• Make sure we have your correct telephone number on file. If you need to update this phone number, please contact your local EMC office.
• Have a contingency plan in place for persons who depend on electricity. During a major storm, damage may be so widespread that it may be a lengthy process to restore power to all customers. Be sure battery operated back-up or some alternative measures are taken for those who are power dependent.
• Have nonperishable foods on hand that don’t need cooking–like canned fruit, powdered milk, peanut butter, bread and crackers. And don’t forget a manual can opener–otherwise it won’t be of much use!
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain a cold temperature. Each time the door is opened, a significant amount of refrigeration is lost.
• Have flashlights, battery-powered lanterns and extra batteries, too. If you depend on a well, fill bathtubs or other large containers for household use, like flushing commodes.
• Remember to charge your cell phone in case phone and power lines go out.
• Get a portable radio or TV with extra batteries for local information and a NOAA Weather Radio for weather warnings. A wind up or battery powered alarm clock might come in handy too. Cordless phones don’t work without power, so have at least one wired phone available.
• Fill your gas tank before a storm arrives, as gas pumps do not work if electricity is out. Automatic teller machines will also shut down if the power fails, so have cash on hand. -
To report power outages
To report a power outage, call one of these numbers: 706-253-0359 OR 706-276-0359 OR 706-864-0359. This feeds your information directly into our outage management system. Please make a note of these numbers and keep them handy.
Once an outage has been reported, you may then access current outage information on our website homepage www.amicalolaemc.com or by downloading our mobile app. While we will post on social media as we have available information, please do not use our social media sites to post outages, as they are not monitored full time.
Please use extreme caution and be safe during the next couple of days, as we expect high winds and heavy rain across our service area. In the event of downed power lines, never go near a downed line and always assume they are still energized. Our sincere wish is for the safety and well being of all our members as well as all our employees. We will keep safety as our top priority and when outages do occur, we will restore them as soon as is safely possible.
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Gov. Deal expands state of emergency to include all 159 counties
Ahead of heavy rains, strong winds and potential flooding from Hurricane Irma, Gov Nathan Deal today expanded the emergency declaration to include all counties. Please visit the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency website at gema.ga.gov for more information.
Amicalola EMC and EMCs across the state are busy making preparations, but rest assured that emergency planning began long before this. Please remember to stay away from any downed power lines. Stay safe to stay clear!
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Be prepared for storms – Make a plan, visit www.ready.gov
Make a plan today. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find. Find more information at www.ready.gov