-
Right-of-Way Professionals Week
-
The Boys & Girls Club Tours Amicalola EMC
This week we hosted a group of preteens and teens from the Boys & Girls Club, Pickens campus. A presentation was made explaining the cooperative way of business and the various types of jobs we have. This was followed up with a tour of the facilities including a walk through the warehouse, and a stop in Dispatch and Member Service.
This organization has also received donations from our unclaimed capital credits funds and the Operation Roundup program. Amicalola EMC is proud to support the Boys & Girls Clubs and acknowledge the helpful role they play in the lives of the students they serve.
-
Safety Tips for Before, During and After the Storm
Staying weather aware is so important for you and your family. As adults, we understand the importance of storm safety, but sometimes younger children and teens may not realize the dangers storms pose. Here are a several tips you can share with your loved ones.
Before the Storm
- Talk to your family about what to do in the event of a severe storm or tornado. Point out the safest location to shelter, like a small, interior, windowless room on the lowest level of your home. Discuss the dangers of severe thunderstorms; lightning can strike 10 miles outside of a storm. Remember: when you hear thunder roar, head indoors.
- Make a storm kit. It doesn’t have to be elaborate– having a few items on hand is better than nothing at all. Try to include items like water, non-perishable foods, a manual can opener, a First-Aid kit, flashlights and extra batteries, prescriptions, baby supplies and pet supplies. Keep all the items in one place for easy access if the power goes out.
During the Storm
- Pay attention to local weather alerts– either on the TV, your smartphone or weather radio– and understand the types of alerts. A thunderstorm or tornado watch means these events are possible and you should be prepared; a warning means a thunderstorm or tornado has been spotted in your area and it’s time to take action.
- If you find yourself in the path of a tornado, head to your safe place to shelter, and protect yourself by covering your head with your arms or materials like blankets and pillows.
- If you’re driving during a severe storm or tornado, do not try to outrun it. Pull over and cover your body with a coat or blanket if possible.
After the Storm
- If the power is out, conserve your phone battery as much as possible, limiting calls and texts to let others know you are safe or for emergencies only.
- Stay off the roads if trees, power lines or utility poles are down. Lines and equipment could still be energized, posing life-threatening risks to anyone who gets too close.
- Wear appropriate gear if you’re cleaning up storm debris on your property. Thick-soled shoes, long pants and work gloves will help protect you from sharp or dangerous debris left behind.
Summer is a time for many fun-filled activities, but the season can also bring severe, dangerous weather. Talk to your loved ones about storm safety so that everyone is prepared and knows what to do when a storm strikes.
-
Wrapping up electrical safety month – downed power lines
Downed power lines might look relatively harmless, but don’t be fooled. They likely carry an electric current strong enough to cause serious injury or possible death. If you see a downed power line, move away from the line and anything touching it. Do not attempt to move a downed power line or anything in contact with the line by using another object such as a broom or stick. Even normally non-conductive materials like wood or cloth, if slightly wet, can conduct electricity and electrocute you. Be careful not to put your feet near water where a downed power line is located, and do not drive over downed lines. Stay back to stay safe.
-
New Outage – Tuesday, May 28, 2024
There is a recent outage around Tate affecting over 600 members. We believe a fiber company’s truck got in the line and it has burned the line down. This will have Hwy 5 from Nelson to Tate out of power. Please remember to stay far away from any downed power lines. They could be energized and very dangerous.
-
Memorial Day Storm
We would like to start by saying thank you to our members for their patience and support over the last 30+ hours while our crews worked to restore all power to our service area. Electricity powers our lives. We depend on it for nearly everything we do, so we understand how frustrating it can be when you’re in the dark. Although power outages are never convenient, just remember that it takes a lot of hands to keep the power on, and even more hands to get it up and running when outages occur. With that being said, we are extremely grateful for the mutual aid that arrived to assist us in our storm restoration efforts over the last 2 days.
Amicalola EMC is locally owned and operated. Many of our employees live in the communities that we serve. The member service representatives answering your phone calls and the linemen out in the field restoring your power may very well be your neighbor. Sometimes our linemen are out working during storms while their own homes are out of power.
On the topic of tree trimming, we are legally allowed to clear 30 feet of right of way on distribution lines. This is 15 feet to either side of the wire. When the power lines crisscross back and forth down both sides of the road, for example, this means the road itself is a large portion of that right of way.
During this particular storm, our crews saw heavy tree damage in localized areas. In addition, maneuvering and managing traffic required more effort than usual due to the holiday weekend.
Again, thank you for your patience, and thank you for showing your appreciation for our crews and personnel that work hard day-in and day-out. Your kind words of encouragement do not go unnoticed!
-
Outage Update – Tuesday, May 28, 2024
1:00 PM Only 41 outages remain! Getting closer.
11:30 AM We are down to 111 outages in 16 separate locations.
9:00 AM Our crews made big strides late yesterday. This morning we are down to 352 consumers out of power. As expected, additional broken poles have been found, and some are not accessible by truck. Crews will be working with alternate equipment to reach these areas and restore power as soon as safely possible. Broken poles found in areas including: Ray Mtn Rd, Cain Trl, Pearl Johnson, and Hwy 183 and 136 where the highway splits. Amicalola EMC crews and personnel, in addition to crews that have come to assist from other co-ops make up approximately 200 total working these outages. Thank you for your patience as we continue to work hard to get the lights back on for everyone!
The issues we were experiencing with our reporting system yesterday should be resolved. If you call and notice continued issues please let us know.
Remember to stay away from downed power lines and always assume they are still energized. Stay back to stay safe!
To report an outage please call 706-253-0359, 706-276-0359 OR 706-864-0359
-
Outage Update – Monday, May 27, 2024 8:45 PM
11:10 PM down to 579 out now.9:34 PM down to 76 outages affecting 1,577 consumer members.8:45 PM We are down to 86 total outages affecting 2,486 members. This number has come down from 8,000+. We know many of you are still without power and our crews are working diligently to restore as much as they can before nightfall.As many of you know, we have experienced some issues with the outage reporting system. When you call, the outage system predicts the outage and shows it on the viewer, however, today it was not letting the consumer know that the outage was reported for their area. We expect this problem to be resolved. Please continue to report your outages by calling one of the numbers: 706-253-0359, 706-276-0359 OR 706-864-0359
The broken pole count is up to 16, and we know there will be more to come. Here are some updates on new areas and areas previously mentioned.
Pickens:-
Hwy 53 West in Pickens – half of the power has been restored and we are working on the rest now.
-
Half of Worley Cross Road has come back on and we are working on the rest.
Gilmer:- Blackberry Mtn and Clear Creek areas are being worked on.
-
Flat Branch just went out and there is a crew working on it now. We are not sure of the cause, but we have reports of a tree that just fell.
-
New Hope club Ln is being worked on now.
The broken pole count, that we are aware of, is as follows:
Pickens – 7
Cherokee – 2
Dawson – 6
Gilmer – 1
-
-
Outage Update – Monday, May 27, 2024 5:45 PM
We currently have 4,201 members without power in 120 separate locations. We apologize, as it seems we’ve had some issues with our outage report system. We are working to get this resolved. Thank you for your patience. During widespread outages like we have experienced today we are thankful for the mutual aid from other cooperatives. Thank you to Central Georgia EMC, Habersham EMC, Middle Georgia EMC, Washington EMC, North Georgia EMC, Snapping Shoals EMC and Pike crews from Cobb and Jackson. In addition, our right of way crews are being assisted by Treeline.
These linemen, your neighbors, are doing everything they can to safely restore power to your homes. We ask that you stay away from any downed lines. They could still be energized.
-
Outage Update – Monday, May 27, 2024 2:00 PM
We have found several broken poles and downed trees on power lines all over Pickens, Gilmer, northern Cherokee and west Dawson. The Nelson/Tate area was hit hard. Blue Ridge Ave in Nelson has a lot of damage and potentially several broken poles. Hwy 53 around Philadelphia Rd in Jasper has multiple trees on power lines. Crews are working in these areas now. We have found multiple broken cross arms in the Jerusalem area towards Ryo, but are still accessing damage in this area.
In Gilmer County Roberts Ridge Rd has multiple trees on power lines that our right of way crews have worked to remove. Line crews will be repairing those as soon as is safely possible.
In Dawson County there is a broken 3 phase pole on Hwy 183 west of Afton Rd along with a broken single phase pole. Power lines are also down at Fausett Lake and Sassafras Mtn.
A total of 143 outages are affecting 5,542 members.
Along with our Amicalola EMC and Pike crews, we have outside crews on the way from Washington EMC, Pike, Cobb EMC, Snapping Shoals EMC, Middle Georgia EMC, Central Georgia EMC and North Georgia EMC.
Thank you all for your patience as these crews work hard to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible.