The lights are back on in Northeast Georgia. Habersham EMC says crews fully restored power to its six-county service area early Tuesday evening. Georgia Power now only has a few remaining scattered outages in the region, five full days after Hurricane Zeta hit
The damage from Hurricane Zeta was widespread but was concentrated mostly in the northern half of the state. Habersham, White, and Rabun counties in Northeast Georgia were especially hard hit.
Electric cooperatives from other areas of Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee sent crews to assist HEMC in its restoration efforts. An HEMC spokesperson says over 100 linemen worked around the clock to get the lights back on.
Georgia Power too relied on additional crews from 14 states to resolve its outages.
“We had more than 4,000 people working around the clock to restore service for our customers as safely and quickly as possible, and I’m extremely proud of their work and dedication,” says Georgia President Chris Womack.
Womack thanked customers for their patience during restoration. He also thanked the other utilities, public safety, and governmental partners who worked together to help in the response to Hurricane Zeta.
Similar to Michael
Utility officials liken the damage from Zeta to what they saw after Hurricane Michael in 2018.
As Zeta blew through Georgia, some areas experienced wind gusts of up to 75 mph for more than two hours, along with sustained winds of 25-40 mph for more than five hours straight. In Cornelia, a few wind gusts were clocked at 60 mph. The strength of those winds, combined with saturated ground made it easier for trees to fall, toppling power lines and blocking roads which complicating crews’ efforts to restore power.
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