Weekend storms lead to power outages in cities, county

Published 5:55 pm Monday, June 24, 2019

When a storm rolled into Troup County Saturday evening, many citizens found themselves without power for hours.

Power outage times varied widely, from a flicker of lights in some areas to well into Sunday in parts of the county.

According to City of LaGrange Utilities Director Patrick Bowie, the majority of the city’s utility customers had their power restored within two hours. However, a large number of downed trees and limbs delayed repairs near Ragland, Colquitt and Hamilton Road, where power was out for roughly five hours. Customers east of Country Club Bridge experienced the longest outage in the City of LaGrange, with power out for more than six hours.

“We greatly appreciate the positive comments that we received from customers on our Facebook page, which is the best resource for staying up to date during utility emergencies,” Bowie said. 

“Jay Bartlett, Electric Superintendent, did a fantastic job coordinating the restoration effort, and I am extremely proud of all our linemen, crew leaders and dispatchers who readily gave up part of their weekend and did a great job getting the power back on for our customers.”

Hogansville reported storm related power outages throughout the city. Additionally, trees were reported down on Ware Street, Askew Street, Lincoln, West Boyd and Whaley Street. Hogansville Public Works and Diverse Power worked together to clear trees and repair damaged power lines. 

According to Hogansville’s Facebook page, Diverse Power restored power to the city around midnight, with the city finally able to report power restored to all areas at 4 a.m. on Sunday.

In the county, the Troup County Sheriff’s Office responded to an influx of calls regarding fallen trees and down power lines. 

“There was a total of 33 calls that we responded to that were either trees down or power lines down from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.,” Sgt. Stewart Smith said. 

Road blockages in unincorporated Troup County were cleared with the assistance of the Troup County Roads and Engineering Department, the Georgia Department of Transportation, Diverse Power, citizens and inmate work crews. 

The same trees that blocked roads and caused power outages also cut power to traffic lights at intersections within the county, and TCSO reminds drivers to be careful on the road during outages.

“When a driver approaches an intersection and the traffic lights are completely out, the driver should treat the intersection as a four-way stop,” Smith said.

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City estimates that wind speeds may have reached 40 to 50 miles per hour during the storm on Saturday.