Georgia Power Company and Excelsior EMC are cautioning customers that power outages could extend until the end of next week.
Georgia Power estimated restoration times for Bulloch on their outage map extends to 7-10 days.
Georgia power has determined that Hurricane Helene was the most destructive hurricane in its history damaging infrastructure across the state.
During the peak outages, there were 29,176 customers out in Bulloch County. As of 9pm on September 28th, they have restored power to 6,374 customers. There are 22,802 customers remaining without power.
At the time of this story, Georgia Power's estimation for restoring power to the remaining 9,290 customers in Statesboro and Bulloch County is Thursday, October 3, 2024.
Excelsior EMC outage maps do not include estimated restoration times (ERT). EMC has 11,417 customers out in Bulloch at the time of this story.
Outage maps
Click here to view findenergy.com updated Bulloch outagemap.
Sunday, September 29th power company statements
EMC
Click here for EMC updates on their Facebook page.
"The sixth cooperative principle is "Cooperation amongst Cooperatives." When you look at this map, we want you to see the people behind the pins. Hundreds of linemen from as far west as Texas and as far north as Maryland have come to Excelsior EMC's service territory to help us get the lights back on.
Their help is absolutely vital to our restoration efforts. Without the aid of our fellow cooperatives, it would take us months to fix what Hurricane Helene destroyed. We understand that hearing it will still be days before power is fully restored can be disheartening, but please know that without these brave individuals putting their lives on hold and coming to our side, the timeline would be drastically different.
As we look back on what has been accomplished today, it’s easy to feel discouraged because the overall number of members without power hasn't changed as much as we would have liked to see. Today, we gained a better understanding of what it will take to get power restored to each individual member. With the help of these cooperative and contractor linemen, we continue to move closer to that goal line.
Our hope for day four is for the transmission lines to come back online, make progress on our main distribution lines so that we can move into the taps, and start getting more lights on for you. We cannot thank you enough for your compassion and understanding through this difficult time. This storm is unlike anything any of us have ever seen, and we understand how frustrating it is to be without power. Your kindness towards our linemen and outside crews is deeply appreciated, and we are truly grateful for your support.
We will resume communications tomorrow morning."
Excelsior EMC.
GPC
Steady progress has been made over the weekend in restoring power to our customers here, and across the state.
At the present time, 116,000 customers in our region have been restored since the peak on Friday.
As of 6:00 PM Sunday, 135,687 customers across the 15-county southeast region remain without power.
Outages by operating headquarters:
Savannah – 69,042
Springfield – 19,144
Hinesville – 10,668
Brunswick – 20,203
Statesboro – 16,630
Over 2,000 personnel made up of GPC, Southern Company, mutual assistance utilities, and contractors are actively working on restoration in the southeast region. Additional resources are being reassigned to the area and will be continually arriving over the coming days.
The geographical area Estimated Restoration Times (ERTs) noted below, which were shared with customers and internal partners last evening, represent the expectation of when 95% of customers in the area, who are capable of accepting power, will have their power restored. ERTs will be revised, by specific address, as additional assessments are completed. These updated ERTs will be posted to the company’s Outage Map as they are available. The Georgia Power Outage Map is the sole accurate source for ERTs. Customers should rely on this map for the most reliable information regarding power restoration. Inaccurate information has been repeatedly circulated via social media.
Savannah – Tuesday, October 1 by 10 PM
Springfield – Wednesday, October 2 by 6 PM
Hinesville – Wednesday, October 2 by 6 PM
Statesboro – Thursday, October 3 at 10 PM
Brunswick – Monday, September 29 at 10 PM
Restoration activities will continue non-stop, 24/7 until every customer is restored.
On behalf of the entire team, thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support."
Joel Hanner, Georgia Power Area Manager.
Georgia Power’s restoration efforts following Hurricane Helene continued Sunday, with the company having restored service to approximately 690,000 customers since the start of the storm. This rapid response has been possible through the implementation of new “smart grid” technologies and the quick work of pre-positioned teams who were ready to respond as soon as conditions were safe to do so on Friday.
Crews continue to navigate treacherous conditions including extensive tree and flooding damage, as well as road closures. As of midday Sunday, efforts are fully underway to restore power to approximately 425,000 customers who remain without power due to the storm. Additionally, there is the potential for further damage and power outages that could occur due to the saturated ground and weakened trees.
Georgia Power has determined Hurricane Helene was the most destructive hurricane in its history damaging infrastructure across the state. Initial damage estimates illustrating the extensive destruction of Hurricane Helene include:
5,000+ power poles that must be repaired or replaced
9,000+ spans of wire equivalent to an estimated 425 miles
500+ transformers
1,500+ trees on power lines that must be removed or addressed to restore power
Georgia Power appreciates the importance of accurate information for customers as they make plans for their families following this historic storm. As the company anticipated and announced before the arrival of the storm, restoration efforts will take multiple days into this next week. Georgia Power continues to post updated estimated restoration times (ERTs) for communities on its Outage Map. As of Sunday, restoration efforts have been largely completed in areas such as Metro Atlanta, Columbus, Macon, Rome and Albany, while work continues in the hardest hit areas across the state.
The company will continue to post updated information throughout the remainder of the restoration process and will make every effort to return power to customers sooner than expected. Customers are encouraged to check the Outage Map often for the latest information and not rely on possibly inaccurate details they may see from non-company sources.
Please visit our Outage Map for the latest update on our restoration process, including ERTs. We will continue to update the Outage Map, and our customers on social."
Thank a lineman
Now is the time to shower all of the linemen who are working tirelessly around the clock to restore our power with kindness and patience. Many of these dedicated workers have traveled long distances, leaving their families behind to help us.
If you have a sign in front of your business, please use these to thank the linemen. Any show of support for them will go a long way.