CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — As a winter storm moves through north Georgia, power outages are expected, and utility crews say they are ready.
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Georgia Power officials say ice accumulation is their primary concern as freezing conditions settle in, increasing the risk of downed trees, debris, and difficult travel for restoration crews.
Channel 2’s Michele Newell was in Cherokee County, where preparations are already underway inside the county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Once the EOC activates, Georgia Power will coordinate closely with local emergency officials and community partners to determine when roads are safe for crews to access outage areas.
“We’re here in the emergency operations center in Cherokee County, and we want to make sure that we’re working with our community partners, so we’re all on one page,” said Amanda Sowells with Georgia Power.
Georgia Power serves 45,000 customers in Cherokee County. Officials stress that power restoration depends heavily on road conditions and debris removal following the storm.
“Before we can restore power, debris has to be moved out of the way,” Sowells said. “We’re all working together to keep roads clear.”
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Dozens of Georgia Power trucks are staged in Canton, ready to respond as conditions change. However, crews warn that ice storms can significantly slow restoration efforts.
“This is an ice storm, so sometimes restoration may take a little longer because our crews may have difficulty getting to the spots where there are outages,” Sowells explained.
With forecasts calling for significant ice accumulation through the weekend, Georgia Power is urging residents to stay off the roads whenever possible to allow crews and emergency responders to work safely.
“Our main concern is the ice,” Sowells said. “We ask everyone to stay off the roads so we can get to where the outages are.”
Statewide, Georgia Power serves roughly 2.8 million customers and is encouraging families to prepare now in case outages occur.
“Have an emergency kit with non-perishable food, medications, and generators—and make sure you know how to use your generators,” Sowells said. “If you have elderly family members or pets, make sure you have a plan in place for when the power does go out.”
Officials say strong communication between Georgia Power and the Cherokee County Emergency Operations Center will be key to safely reaching the hardest-hit areas as the storm unfolds.
“Communication is very important in storms like this,” Sowells added. “We want to make sure roads are clear and all of our citizens stay safe.”
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