Georgia Power Company (GPC) had to replace a major pole knocked down when a City of Statesboro trash truck struck the pole in a 4:15 am accident on Tuesday, July 12, 2022.
Over 1,000 homes and apartments were without power for eight hours, which has created food spoilage issues for perishable food, which the CDC recommends destroying after 4 hours without a power source.
Frozen food should hold for 24 hours.
Neighborhoods and Apartments Impacted by Long Term Power Outage
Several large apartment complexes were impacted by the long term power outage and a few neighborhoods shown on the map above. If you were in this area, it is recommended by the CDC that you destroy all perishable foods in your refrigerator.
Cable, Telephone and Broadband remains out
Local broadband, cable and telephone providers including Vyve and Frontier were also impacted by the accident. They could not begin repairs until GPC crews replaced the power pole. They are working to restore service and hope to have all service restored soon. Over 1,000 customers remain impacted at the time of this story.
Charitable Food Assistance Available
The Statesboro Food Bank is a local non-profit located in the City of Statesboro that provides food assistance in emergencies and on a regular basis for families in need. Jodi Brannon, Executive Director of the Statesboro Food Bank has offered assistance to anyone impacted by the accident and power outage. They have both non-perishable and perishable products at the food bank.
Brannon asks that you call ahead so they can prepare the food for anyone needing help.
Call the food bank daily after 10AM 912-489-3663 (FOOD)
Please note that the Statesboro Food Bank is closed on Thursdays.
The food bank is a volunteer run organization that does have limited hours daily. For this reason calling ahead helps them make sure they have volunteers in place to assist you when you come to pick up the food.
Traffic detoured for 8 hours - NOW OPEN
Statesboro Police Department detoured on South Main from Parrish Drive to Old Register Road/Rucker Lane near the Georgia Southern Campus for the 8 hour period while emergency crews worked the accident scene and GPC crews worked to restore power.
City Trash Truck Struck Pole Early Tuesday
The driver of a City of Statesboro trash truck left the roadway and struck a power pole in front of Woodland Square shopping center that includes Jersey Mike's Subs.
The impact broke a power pole and the trash truck is covered with power wires. The driver remained in the vehicle until Georgia Power Company could respond to the scene.
It took about an hour to extricate the driver from the vehicle due to the power lines covering the truck.
Bulloch County EMS transported the driver to EGRMC for evaluation.
According to Layne Phillips, Public Information Officer for the City of Statesboro, said the driver is recovering with non-life-threatening injuries and remains under medical observation at the hospital.
Statesboro Fire and Rescue also responded to the scene to assist with extrication once the scene was deemed safe by Georgia Power crews.
City Trash Services Not Impacted
Layne Phillips, PIO for the City of Statesboro said the trash truck sustained damage and will be out of service for a while. The City did have a spare truck they have put into service and they have pulled a driver from another division of waste collection who will cover this route. A solid waste supervisor will fill in for the waste collection team member moved to cover this route, so no services should be impacted.
