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    • The cleanup continues, power has been restored as Athens recovers from Helene
    Albany

    The cleanup continues, power has been restored as Athens recovers from Helene

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    Athens quickly returned to normality on Saturday following damage from Hurricane Helene, a severe storm event that caused flooding and strong winds across Georgia on Thursday and Friday morning.

    The Classic City and neighboring cities fared significantly better than cities in south Georgia, the Augusta region and the mountains of northeast Georgia.

    The University of Georgia reported Saturday that there was no significant damage to buildings on campus. Classes were closed last Thursday and Friday, but normal operations begin on Monday. UGA buses will be back in service on Friday.

    “We are fortunate that Athens did not suffer major damage during the storm, and our thoughts are with those across the state and the Southeast who were more severely impacted by Hurricane Helene,” a UGA statement said.

    Weather outlook: Helene eventually passes through Georgia, but there are more storms in the tropics. What you should know

    Off campus, the major power line failure occurred in the northern part of the Athens Perimeter, where a failed high-voltage line shut down the highway for hours before the line was replaced.

    The Georgia EMC, an association for electric companies across the state, reported Saturday that 435,000 customers had lost power due to the storm, but as of Saturday morning that number had dropped to 334,000.

    Much of the power outages were due to damage to high-voltage power lines that needed to be replaced before electricity could flow through the lines to supply homes, the statement said

    Athens is in the EMC metro area of ​​its service areas and reported that about 540 customers remained without power in that wide area. Thousands of outages continue to occur in southern and southeastern Georgia, as well as in counties in far northeastern Georgia.

    Jackson EMC, which has customers in 10 counties, reported outages including 46 in Clarke, 443 in Jackson, 351 in Madison, 201 in Banks and three in Oglethorpe. Many of these were expected to be corrected on Saturday.

    Jackson EMC also reported that hundreds of workers from EMC groups outside of Georgia were in the state assisting with the restoration work.

    The EMC also reminded residents dealing with downed trees to be aware that in some cases there could still be power lines that could be fatal.

    Additionally, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources reported Saturday that its wardens were working to help clear trees from roads across the state. Emergency services are using chainsaws and heavy equipment to clear roads.

    The Georgia Power outage map shows there were only 12 outages remaining in Athens-Clarke County by midday Saturday.

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    Madoc Meredith
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