10/03/2024
EMCs See Progress as Rebuilding Efforts Continue
TUCKER, Ga. – EMCs are currently reporting approximately 162,000 outages primarily in South Central, Southeast and East Georgia, down from a peak of 435,000. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association reports Hurricane Helene knocked out power to an estimated 1.25 million electric cooperative members and is proving to be one of the most consequential storms in the 87-year history of electric cooperatives.
The extensive rebuild and restoration process can be attributed largely to the type of damage caused by Hurricane Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with a path 500 miles wide. The high winds caused catastrophic damage to the high-voltage transmission lines and electrical substations that provide electricity to the local EMCs, which distribute it to customers through smaller lines.
Georgia Transmission reports there are currently 26 substations and approximately 20 high-voltage transmission lines out of service. From the peak damage at the height of the storm, 80% of transmission has now been restored. The remaining transmission assets are in some of the hardest hit areas of our state. Crews have been met with immense flooding and entire trees down on multiple sections of the same transmission lines, making restoration a challenge.
As EMC linemen work to rebuild distribution lines, they face a number of unique challenges:
Several 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.
EMCs have more than doubled their workforce with thousands of additional linemen and additional support personnel in response to Hurricane Helene. Crews continue to arrive in affected areas from out of state and from restored portions of Georgia every day.
The currently affected EMCs serve enormous land areas and have far fewer members per mile of line (an average of 5) compared with investor-owned utilities (average of 34,) and publicly owned utilities, or municipal, (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 at many EMCs. Linemen are replacing thousands of broken poles---which requires as much as four hours per pole.
For these reasons, EMCs caution it will be an extended restoration process in areas that took the brunt of the storm, possibly a week or more before full restoration is complete. In addition to crews from fellow co-ops on the western side of the state, EMC crews are currently working alongside linemen from Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Ohio and Alabama.
Electricity for Medical Needs:
EMCs are doing everything possible to restore power, but for those that require electricity for medical needs, EMCs continue to recommend temporary relocation. If relocation is not an option, EMCs recommend securing a generator from a friend or neighbor or seeking help at a local medical facility.
Safety Tips:
Safety continues to be a top priority in the restoration process. We recommend individuals keep a safe distance from crews working and stay away from downed power lines. Those that are using a generator as a temporary power source should follow the recommended generator safety tips, listed below, for the duration of the outage.
Generator Usage and Safety
If using a generator, follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions and all safety guidelines.
Never operate a generator, grill, or camp stove indoors, such as in your home, crawlspace, basement, or garage.
Never connect generators to another power source, such as power lines. The reverse flow of electricity or "backfeed" can electrocute an unsuspecting utility worker.
Outage Information:
A map showing current outages by region, updated every 15 minutes, can be found at http:// www.georgiaemc. com/outages. To report power outages and gain more detailed outage and restoration updates, customers should contact their local EMC provider.
About Georgia EMC:
Georgia EMC is the statewide trade association representing the state’s 41 electric cooperatives, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp. Collectively, Georgia’s customer-owned co-ops 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 X.
About Georgia Transmission:
Georgia Transmission Corp., a not-for-profit cooperative owned by 38 Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs), owns more than 5,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and more than 780 substations. These facilities deliver power to Georgia’s EMCs providing electricity to more than 4.5 million Georgians.
Electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) are member-owned, not-for-profit utilities that serve approximately 4.4 million of Georgia’s 10 million residents and 73 percent of the state’s land area. Georgia’s EMCs employ more than 6,000 workers and operate by far the largest distribution network i...
