ATLANTA — Roughly 270,000 customers are still without power in Georgia after Hurricane Helene devastated large swaths of the Southeast just last week.
Gov. Brian Kemp relayed the data at a press conference on Thursday, where he offered an update on the ongoing recovery efforts in impacted regions.
The governor said there were about 200,000 Georgia Power customers without power, and the rest customers of Georgia EMC servicers.
The hardest-hit area in terms of power loss, the governor said, was probably Augusta.
Thus far, he said, over 1.14 million customers have had power restored, roughly 85% of those affected in the state. Kemp added that, as far as he knows, that number should be closer to 90% by the end of the day.
Still, the governor urged patience, reminding residents of the unprecedented level of damage the storm left.
"Previously, the worst storm Georgia Power had ever dealt with, they had 1,700 poles that needed to be replaced. Currently, there are over 8,000 that have to be replaced," Kemp said.
In addition, he said crews need to replace about 1,000 miles of wire. Over 1,500 transformers were also damaged, and over 3,200 trees fell on power lines, which need to be cleared.
According to Kemp, crews are even having to use helicopters in some cases to remove trees from transmission lines near swamps. 20,000 personnel are working to try and get power back on.
Finally, Kemp urged those using generators to place them at a safe distance, pointing to three individuals from Chatham County who died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator.
If you're in metro Atlanta and believe your power bill has been affected or is incorrect as a result of Helene, contact whereATLspeaks@11alive.com.
