South Fulton County

Store owners losing business, patiently waiting for power to be restored

By Carl Willis
By Carl Willis

EAST POINT, Ga. — Several businesses in downtown East Point remained in the dark Wednesday night, closed due to a lack of power.

Power crews are working to restore service after fallen trees and wind snapped lines across the city. They’re working as fast as they can, but people are feeling the impact.

Lights slowly started to come back on Wednesday night, but some business owners say the damage has been done.

"I've talked to other business owners around me, the pizza place to Q's Restaurant. They've all lost their food. I've lost my product," Richard Ramey, owner of Flower Cottage on Main, told Channel 2’s Carl Willis.

Power crews are working to restore service after fallen trees and wind snapped lines across the city.

Ramey’s business is just one of several, including most of the banks, that were still in the dark Wednesday afternoon.

Owners say this is a huge setback. Employees like Darnell Morrow are taking a hit as well.

"All the mom and pops, the people that really need the power to be on - no power. I can't work," BGR Grill employee Morrow told Willis.

Workers with East Point Power are focusing on power lines that were taken out by fallen trees on Semmes Street.

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Wednesday night, Willis saw some shops that had been closed light up with power.

In a Facebook post, East Point Mayor Jannquell Peters wrote: "If your power has been ‘restored’, it has not necessarily been repaired. Your power has likely been bypassed or patched."

POWER UPDATE: I do not have the specific locations yet, but there is a very good chance we WILL NOT be able to restore...

Posted by Jannquell Peters on Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Peters said they're now working on permanent repairs; that means getting not just business owners, but residents like Kayla Pruitt back on the grid.

"It looks like a disaster," Pruitt said about the conditions along Connally Drive. "(There’s) eight or nine poles down."

Poles are snapped, leaning and hanging in the middle of the road.

Ramey said the mayor has been great with keeping the public informed on the progress but he still has questions.

"Why did the downtown area get done last? But everyone's equal. The residents and the businesses. We've just really taken a hit," Ramey said.

Cox Media Group

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