A tree hangs among snapped power lines hanging above the road in Sautee. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
(Cleveland)- The all-out effort to get power restored to all power customers continues Tuesday following the high winds Monday that blew down numerous trees in the area.
White County was one of the worse hit areas, with trees down in all parts of the county. The Asbestos Road area probably had the most damage which resulted in a large number of homes losing power.
Tuesday morning Nicole Dover, spokesperson for Habersham Electric Membership Corporation said the task of restoring power is so time-consuming because they had 30 poles, many that had main lines, that were broken. Dover said, “ each one of those poles it takes approximately 6 to 8 hours to replace.”
Dover advised over 4,500 meters were still without power Tuesday morning and the work continues with additional help coming in. “ we have five additional crews that have arrived from other Co-ops to assist with our restoration.”
“Safety is our number one priority, “ said Dover, “ even in the hazardous condition you have to work safely, you can’t rush through restoring power or you’re going to get somebody hurt.”
Dover asks that everyone be patient with them as they work through this process. Georgia power still has several customers without power in the area as well.
A big thank you to HEMC and assisting crews for your tireless efforts to restore power. We were fortunate to have our power (in White County) restored several hours sooner than the estimated day/time.