PALMETTO, Ga. – As Hurricane Helene moves out of Georgia, Coweta-Fayette Electric Membership Corporation (EMC), along with support from PowerGrid Services, Pike Corporation, MasTec Utility Services, Asplundh, Palmetto Line Clearing, Thompson Construction Inc., Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative, Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative and New Enterprise Rural Electric Cooperative, has successfully restored power to nearly all of our members.
At the height of the storm, around 3,900 members were without power. Beginning early Friday morning, our crews responded to calls reporting downed trees, broken poles, and power lines tangled in debris. High winds and saturated soil were the primary causes of these outages. Thanks to our ongoing right-of-way maintenance throughout the year, damage was limited, with most issues coming from trees outside our right-of-way falling onto lines.
“We greatly appreciate the patience and support of our members during this time,” said CEO and President Chris Stephens. “Just as we carefully prepared for this storm, we know our members were also ready and have been busy cleaning up their own properties. Our team, along with the additional crews we brought in, worked tirelessly to restore power quickly and safely. I am very proud of them as they handled the tough conditions with the professionalism and dedication you expect.”
We anticipate that all power will be fully restored by late tonight. However, with lingering wind gusts, there is still a possibility of additional outages. Rest assured, our Emergency Operations Center remains in storm mode, and our crews will be available throughout the night and over the weekend to respond to any new issues. Regular operations will resume on Monday.
As a reminder, please stay cautious of any downed power lines you may encounter. Always assume they are live and dangerous. Stay clear, keep others away, and immediately report the situation to Coweta-Fayette EMC at 770-502-0226 or call 911.
Coweta-Fayette EMC is a member-owned energy cooperative, serving over 82,000 accounts, headquartered in Palmetto, Ga. Coweta -Fayette EMC is an equal opportunity provider and employer /M/F/Y/D