Georgia Power works to restore power to thousands in South DeKalb

Georgia Power says they’re targeting the hardest hit areas when focusing to restore power to thousands of South Dekalb residents.

“We’re continuing to make progress, we know it’s very cold, it’s the holiday weekend,” said John Kraft with Georgia Power.

Friday strong winds caused trees and power lines to go down.

South DeKalb residents told Channel 2′s Ashli Lincoln they’ve been waiting for the power to come back on, since 8:30 a.m. Friday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

“It is cold right before Christmas,” said Heather Blackmon.

Jodi Greene-Hudson and her neighbors say Friday morning, strong winds caused a tree to fall on power lines, resulting in power outages for hundreds.

“We seen the sparks flying from the power lines,” Hudson said.

TRENDING STORIES:

• A woman was asked for directions outside Costco before thousands disappeared from her bank account

• Strong wind gusts bring trees, wires down as dangerous cold arrives in north Georgia

• This is how you protect your pipes when the temperature drops

Info from Georgia Power about outages:

Georgia Power teams are in the field this morning working to repair damage and restore power to customers following the extremely low temperatures and severe, high winds that brought down trees causing downed powerlines and interrupting service to customers overnight. Damage and outages are primarily concentrated in North Georgia and parts of Metro Atlanta. Power has already been restored to approximately 120,000 customers.

According to Ryan Poole, Georgia Power Manager of Storm Center Operations: “Our teams are working safely and as quickly as possible to restore service in these extreme winter conditions, as we continue to deal with high winds and icy roads. To our customers directly affected by this winter storm, we recognize it’s extremely cold and that we’re in the midst of the holiday season. On behalf of the Georgia Power team, we thank you for your patience and understanding.”

While Georgia Power’s crews in the field work to repair damage, teams at the company’s power generation plants are working around the clock to help ensure ability to meet increased demand for energy during these extremely low temperatures. The company has also invested in a diverse energy mix to maintain high levels of reliability and, across its generation fleet, the company has proactively taken measures to protect generating units and prepare them for the high-demand season, including scheduling maintenance activities in lower demand seasons. The company also maintains a robust protection program which addresses all aspects of winter weather operations.

Tools You Can Use to Stay Informed

· Outage & Storm Center – Available at www.georgiapower.com/storm, customers can visit this site to sign up for Outage Alerts, report and check the status of outages, and access useful safety tips and information. Customers can report and check the status of an outage 24 hours a day by contacting Georgia Power at 888-891-0938.

· Outage Alerts – Subscribe to the free Georgia Power Outage Alert service to receive personalized notifications and updates via text message.

· Outage Map – Housed within the Outage & Storm Center, Georgia Power’s interactive Outage Map provides near real-time information, allowing users to see where outages are occurring across the state and track estimated restoration times.

· Georgia Power Mobile App – Download the Georgia Power mobile app for Apple and Android devices to access storm and outage information on the go.

· @GeorgiaPower on Twitter – Follow @GeorgiaPower on Twitter for storm tips, outage updates, customer service and more.

(Facebook.com/Georgia Power), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS: