Power is nearly fully restored to HEMC and GA Power customers in Habersham and neighboring counties. Heavy snow and ice on trees caused some to fall overnight, wiping out service to nearly 3,000 people in Habersham, Rabun, Stephens and White Counties. Crews worked throughout the day and as of 6:30pm both company outage maps show only a few scattered outages remain. That’s good news for those who lost power, many, the same ones who spent days without power last week in the wake of Winter Storm Octavia. Octavia carried ice and Arctic cold temperatures.
Last week, utility crews spent hours cutting their way through fallen trees just so they could reach downed power lines. More than 1,000 trees reportedly fell in Habersham. Thousands more across northeast Georgia. That was not the case this time. Winter Storm Remus that swept into the region yesterday was packed with snow. The lighter, less volatile wintry mix made for easier clean-up. Habersham County Road Superintendent John Stamey says only a handful of trees fell this time.
Crews made significant strides restoring power on Thursday. As of 5am approximately 1,200 HEMC customers were without. By 7pm Thursday, only seven HEMC customers in White County were still without power. Dover says HEMC expects all power will be restored by tonight.
GA Power crews worked all day to restore power to some 1,700 people left in the cold in Habersham, Rabun, Stephens and White Counties. As of 7pm Thursday only 161 customers in Rabun were still without electricity.
Dover says Hwy. 197 North in Habersham was the hardest by outages. Other areas include:
- Boggs Mountain area in Rabun County
- Sautee and Sky Lake areas in White County
- Yonah Mountain area in White County
With forecasted temperatures in the 20’s tonight there’s a chance of ice build up on power lines and trees. If you come upon downed power lines, Dover says treat them as if they are energized. Leave the area and report downed lines immediately to Habersham EMC or your electric provider.
HEMC members may report outages online at habershamemc.com, or by calling:
· (706)754-2114
· (706)865-4362
· (800)640-6812
Please do not report outages through social media as those channels are not monitored 24/7.
GA Power customers may report outages online at georgiapower.com or by calling 1-888-891-0938 24 hours/7 days a week. A Spanish-speaking hotline can be reached at 1-800-253-1077 from 7am-9pm.
