$6 a year. That’s all it costs the average Amicalola EMC member to round-up their electric bill for an entire year. $6 doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up in a big way! $2.3 million dollars has been collected through Operation RoundUp since we started participating in 1999. Every penny we’ve collected has been put back out into the community to qualifying individuals, either directly or indirectly through community charities, for food, shelter, clothing, health needs, education and specialty needs. The next time you receive your electric bill, take a second and notice how many pennies it would take to round it up to the next dollar. We’re hoping when you do that, you will realize just how little it takes to help those in need. Call 706-253-5200 to join.
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Join Operation RoundUp today
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Georgia Agriculture Tax Exemption due now
Amicalola EMC members who receive the Georgia Agriculture Tax Exemption (GATE) must provide us with a 2019 certificate by 12/31/2018 in order to continue receiving the exemption. GATE certificates are valid from the date of issuance until December 31st of each year. Members wishing to renew their GATE certificate may do so online at https://forms.agr.georgia.gov/gate/ .
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Amicalola EMC is now accepting American Express
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Storms bring outages early this morning
We currently have 741 members without power, resulting from the storm that came through earlier this morning. 693 of those members are in Gilmer County. The two largest current outages are affecting 423 members in the Blackberry Mountain area and 94 members in the Roger’s Creek Rd/Westwind Drive area, which went out around 5:55 am. One broken pole has been reported on Roberts Ridge Road, resulting in 45 members out and a crew is working to replace that pole now. Crews are out working and will restore all power as soon as is safely possibly. Please report all outages to 706-253-0359 OR 706-276-0359 or 706-864-0359. Please remember to stay away from all downed power lines and always assume they are still energized.
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EMCs across the state rebuild transmission and distribution network; power restoration continues
Outage numbers continue to decline for EMC members throughout Georgia following Hurricane Michael, as an extensive restoration effort involving hundreds of linemen and additional support personnel continues.
EMCs are currently reporting approximately 45,000 outages primarily in South and Southwest Georgia, down from a peak of 210,000. After surveying the electric system when conditions became safe, EMCs and other utilities quickly realized Michael was not an ordinary storm.
The extended recovery process can be attributed largely to catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Michael, which made landfall in Georgia as a Category 3 hurricane. Unlike storms in recent years, Michael destroyed or damaged high-voltage transmission lines and electrical substations that provide electricity to local EMCs, which distribute it to members through smaller lines.
At the height of the storm, 53 high voltage transmission lines were down as well as 99 electrical substations. In recent days, Georgia Transmission Corp. has made great strides to bring these lines and substations back to full operation and reports that work on the transmission system has been completed.
However, much work remains. The rebuilding of the distribution system involves a number of unique challenges for electric cooperatives:
• Some EMCs are rebuilding as much as 100 percent of their distribution system, while others are repairing and replacing significant portions of their network as well.
• Affected EMCs serve enormous land areas and have far fewer members per mile of line (an average of 10) compared with investor owned utilities (average of 34, three times that of an electric co-op) and publicly owned utilities, or municipals, (with an average of 48, nearly five times that of an electric co-op).
• EMCs report historically high numbers of downed trees and power poles, surpassing previous records. Linemen are replacing thousands of broken poles—an arduous task that requires as much as four hours per pole.
For these reasons, EMCs caution it will be an extended restoration process in areas that bore the brunt of the storm, possibly a week or more before full restoration is complete. Local crews are currently working with linemen from Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee.Note to media: Updated outage information can be found throughout the day on Georgia EMC’s web site at https://georgiaemc.com/page/outages. The next written update will be provided at 5 a.m. tomorrow.
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. To learn more, visit www.georgiaemc.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Georgia Transmission Corporation plans, builds and maintains more than 3,100 miles of high-voltage powerlines and 650 substations that deliver electric power to 38 electric membership corporations (EMCs) across the state. Georgia Transmission and our member EMCs are not-for-profit cooperatives that serve approximately 4.1 million people in nearly 70 percent of the state’s land area. See www.gatrans.com
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EMCs in middle and south Georgia battle on
While Amicalola EMC experienced minimal damages attributed to Hurricane Michael, our neighbors to the south were less fortunate.
October 12, 2018
EMCs WORK OVERNIGHT TO RESTORE POWER
TUCKER, GA – At 4:30 a.m., EMCs are reporting 144,000 customers without power, down from 177,000 last evening. Hurricane Michael caused significant damage to both the electric transmission and distribution infrastructure, something Georgia has not experienced in decades.
Since yesterday, EMCs have been battling tough conditions and working to repair severe damage to high voltage transmission lines, substations, distribution lines, power poles and other equipment. Local crews have been joined by hundreds of out-of-state crews, and more are expected. They will work side-by-side with local EMCs to make outage repairs as quickly as safety practices and conditions allow.
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EMCs Conduct Critical Damage Assessment After Hurricane Michael
TUCKER, Ga. – At 3 p.m., EMCs in Georgia are reporting approximately 177,000 members without power primarily in middle and south Georgia where Hurricane Michael landed in the state as a Category 3 hurricane. Outage numbers rose sharply overnight as the storm traveled north and across much of the state, causing some of the worst destruction in the southeast.
Unlike recent storms, Hurricane Michael severely damaged transmission assets such as high voltage transmission lines in addition to distribution assets. For that reason, Georgia Transmission Corp., in conjunction with local EMCs, has spent much of the day conducting an extensive damage assessment of Georgia’s power grid.
The findings are sobering. Crews are discovering catastrophic damage to the electric infrastructure–the likes of which has not been seen in decades. There are multiple high voltage transmission lines down as well as 68 substations out of service.
With this much damage to both the transmission and distribution system, EMCs warn there will be extensive delays in total restoration. Consequently, some EMC members in the most damaged parts of the state—especially those who are medically fragile–may wish to make temporary arrangements.
Earlier this week, EMCs in the path of Hurricane Michael called upon crews and line workers across the state as well as nearby states to aid in the restoration effort. Right now, crews and equipment have already arrived or are expected from Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The list of states sending help is likely to increase in the days ahead.
During the recovery and restoration effort, EMCs want to remind the public to avoid downed power lines and assume that any downed lines are energized and extremely dangerous and could be fatal depending upon ground conditions. This is especially true in wet situations and even more so with standing water as a result of this storm.
Note to media: Updated outage information can be found throughout the day on Georgia EMC’s web site at https://georgiaemc.com/page/outages. The next written update is scheduled for 5 a.m. tomorrow.
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. To learn more, visit www.georgiaemc.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Georgia Transmission Corporation plans, builds and maintains more than 3,100 miles of high-voltage powerlines and 650 substations that deliver electric power to 38 electric membership corporations (EMCs) across the state. Georgia Transmission and our member EMCs are not-for-profit cooperatives that serve approximately 4.1 million people in nearly 70 percent of the state’s land area. See www.gatrans.com
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Amicalola EMC tied for People’s Choice Award in Dahlonega Woman’s Club scarecrow contest
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October is National Co-op Month
Happy #CoopMonth! Electric cooperatives are more than energy providers. Community born, community led and focused on you.
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GEORGIA Magazine wants your high-resolution photos
Each issue of GEORGIA Magazine contains a section called “Snapshot” near the back of the magazine, where readers may submit their photos for publication. The upcoming theme for February 2019 is “Georgia sunsets” due by October 24. Submit your digital photos to snapshot@georgiaemc.com or you may mail actual photos to the address listed on page 6 of each issue.