ATLANTA — A local utility is estimating some customers won't have power restored for roughly another week in Newnan - even as linemen and power crews make significant progress following a massive tornado days earlier.
Newnan Utilities issued a statement on Sunday providing an update on ongoing efforts to bring parts of the city online and explained why it may take longer for some.
In a statement shared on the organization's website, Randy Griffith, the superintendent of electrical services for Newnan Utilities, estimated that 6,500 of their 10,000 customers were without power as of Friday. By Sunday, the number of customers without power was estimated at 2,000.
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But those living in the areas of Boone Drive, LaGrange Street, Greenville Street, East Broad Street, Savannah Street, bailey Drive, and the Woodbine subdivision took some of the heaviest damage from the EF-4 tornado just days earlier.
Those will likely be the areas that can expect a week-long wait for the lights to return to homes and businesses that are still standing.
"We have entire neighborhoods needing a complete rebuild. Georgia Power has mobilized 50 line and construction trucks to help in the hardest-hit areas and wherever else they are needed," he said. "Right now, the primary focus is repairing the main feeders that support secondary feeders that supply electricity to homes and businesses."
And for that, he said, there's no quick fix.
The destruction brought by the storm also wasn't lost on the utility's general manager, Dennis McEntire - but he said neither was the community response.
“I’ve never seen such devastation in our community," he said. "The cooperation between people that need help and those who can give help is humbling. It simply warms my heart.”
Newnan Utilities thanked several Georgia and Alabama cities who have pitched in to help and even other utility companies such as Georgia Power
In the meantime, many everyday parts of life are on hold for residents, with Coweta County Schools canceling classes while waiting for crews to restore power and clear roads. School is closed on Monday and may not reopen until later in the week.
Meanwhile, county officers are also closed on Monday including the courts and the tag and tax office.
A spokesperson for the county commissioners' office, Cathy Wickey, added that the 911 center is not yet back to normal operations either.