While Habersham County is experiencing the initial effects of Irma, local power companies are preparing for the worst.
HEMC Director of Marketing and Communications Nicole Dover stated as of this morning, “we have a few isolated outages.” Currently, there are four total outages with 118 members affected. “We expect more (outages) when the winds come,” stated Dover.
The worst part of the storm is expected to come this afternoon around 2 p.m. Dover is concerned about potential outages “Due to the drought over the past year, the roots do not run very deep,” which creates an easy situation for fallen trees and down lines.
Local Georgia Power Manager Brent Edwards stated that, as of this morning, there were seven documented outages in Habersham. Currently, Edwards and other power workers are headed to lead storm teams in Macon, Tipton, and Valdosta, where outages are widespread.
Corporate Georgia Power Spokesperson Adrienne Tickle says that “across the state, there are more than 300,000 customers without power.” Most of the outages are centralized in South and Coastal Georgia, but the remainder of the state will see Irma’s effects this afternoon, states Tickle.
Local authorities are asking residents to use caution today and, if at all possible, stay off the roadways.
If you are a HEMC customer and need to report an outage, please contact 1-800-640-6812 or go online at www.habershamemc.com.
Georgia Power customers can call 1-888-891-0938 or go online at www.georgiapower.com.
