Carrollton, GA – Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative (EMC) continues to work through power restoration for Members affected by this weekend’s Winter Storm Benji. Full restoration is expected by Monday night.
“This is the most damage to our system since Hurricane Opal in 1995 but it could have been much worse,” said Tommy Cook, Construction Manager for Carroll EMC. “This ended up being a three-day event. Our aggressive right-of-way program and distribution technology along with lots of help from contracted crews ensured this wasn’t a weeklong event or longer.”
Thirty-seven contracted crews from surrounding counties and out of state began arriving at Carroll EMC by Friday evening. By Saturday morning, the majority of those had been fully deployed in the field alongside Carroll EMC crews. As of Saturday evening, approximately 200 linemen were on-site, in addition to Carroll EMC’s 91 linemen and operations personnel. All hands were on deck at Carroll EMC with all 145 employees on call. EMC Retirees were also called in to serve as “bird dogs” to locate problems before crews arrived to outage locations.
The most customers out of power at one time was approximately 30,000 around 9 a.m. Saturday. The heaviest concentration of damage was in northern parts of the co-op’s territory including Paulding, Haralson and Polk counties. Despite the large number of outages, the company’s approach to powerline right-of-way maintenance helped to keep outage numbers from growing. The cooperative had also taken measures before the storm’s arrival to procure material and fuel in preparation for the additional construction needs during the event.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our members,” said Carroll EMC CEO Tim Martin. “We also realize that being without power is inconvenient and appreciate all the messages and calls supporting our employees’ efforts during trying times.”
Carroll EMC is a Member-owned cooperative providing electricity to approximately 53,000 homes and businesses. The co-op serves Members in Carroll, Haralson, Heard, Paulding, Polk and Troup counties. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. For more information visit the cooperative’s website at carrollemc.com or follow Carroll EMC on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn. Carroll EMC: Community Built. Community Builder.
**Carroll EMC Press Release
