As the rain continues to fall across North Georgia, a number of mountain counties are dealing with power outages affecting thousands of customers.
On Wednesday morning, Jackson EMC sent 10 linemen and released 24 contractors to assist Amicalola EMC with power restoration efforts in northwest Georgia.
According to Jackson EMC spokeswoman April Sorrow, Amicalola EMC reported 122 outages affecting 4,140 members - about 8.5-percent of the co-op's membership. By noon, that number had dropped to 107 outages, impacting 3,588 customers.
Sorrow said the outages have impacted customers in Bartow, Cherokee, Gilmer, Gordon and Pickens counties, with the largest number of outages in Gilmer and Pickens.
In an email, Sorrow said she was unsure how long the Jackson EMC personnel would be away from home.
"We aren’t ever really sure when we ask our linemen to restore other system," Sorrow said. "There are a lot of factors to consider. The terrain is one in this case. And, if the outages are caused by several downed trees, clearing the way for the men to get to work can add time to the process."
She said it's possible they could be on site for several days.
Forecasters predict the heavy rain will continue into the weekend.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/2/765548/jackson-emc-sends-workers-to-assist-with-power-outages-in-rain-soaked-mountains