Winter Storm Causes Outages for Habersham EMC Members 
An estimated 9,000 HEMC members were without power at sometime during the weekend of January 30-31. The winter mix of precipitation and freezing temperatures caused trees to fall, breaking power lines and poles. "It became very frustrating in some areas. Crews would get trees removed from a line and the line repaired and in a matter of minutes, another grouping of trees would fall somewhere down the line causing the power to go out again," explained Terry Ward, HEMC Operations Manager.
HEMC crews worked throughout the weekend, along with assistance from crews from Hart and Jackson EMCs and contractors Davey Tree and Skyline Electric. Rabun County was the hardest hit area in the HEMC service area with approximately 4,600 members without power. In addition 1,700 members in Habersham County and almost 2,500 in White County had their electrical service interrupted due to the storm. Lumpkin and Stephens counties were affected by scattered outages as well. Power was restored in most areas by Sunday.
This photo was taken in the Hollywood community of northern Habersham County, on Saturday, Jan. 30.
Don't get caught in the dark - BE PREPARED!
Habersham EMC is prepared in the event of a winter storm and outages. We go in our 'Storm Mode', meaning every HEMC employee drops whatever they are doing and works together to get our members power back on as quickly and safely as possible.
We plan ahead. We have the necessary supplies and equipment in place, as well as the crews on standby in the event of outages. We are also prepared to implement our Disaster Response Plan. This plan is a part of a statewide coordination through Georgia EMC to support efforts to restore power during extensive outages. Linemen from other EMCs not affected by the storm are called in to assist. We have, during past storms, been able to double or triple the size of the crews.
We will have all available staff answering outage calls. During a widespread outage when all representatives' phone lines become busy, the overflow calls are handled by an automated outage reporting system. If this does happen to, please listen carefully and follow the directions. This is a faster solution to get an outage reported because as soon as you enter the phone number at the location of the outage, the system tracts that exact location.
You can be prepared, too.
Listen to weather forecasts so you'll know when high winds, snow or sleet are on the way. Plan ahead for power outages that can accompany storms:
- Prepare an outage kit that contains a battery-powered radio; fresh batteries; a flashlight; candles; matches; a wind-up clock and extra blankets.
- Keep a stock of bottled water and canned food, along with a manual can opener.
- Run some water in your bathtub or washing machine so you can flush your toilets. Store extra water in containers for cooking or drinking.
- Keep the Habersham EMC phone number, along with your account number, posted next to your telephone in case you need to report an outage.
During the Storm:
If a storm leaves you without power, unplug or turn off any appliances that will go on automatically when power is restored. These include your furnace, air conditioners, water heaters and heat pump. If all of these appliances come back on at once, they might overload your circuits. Make sure electric space heaters, washers, dryers and TV sets are shut off as well.
- Leave a single lamp turned on to let you know when your electric service has been restored.
- When the power comes on, turn on your appliances one at a time.
- Teach children to stay away from fallen power lines. They could be energized and dangerous.
In the Kitchen:
When there's no electricity to power the refrigerator and freezer, it's natural to assume that the food in them will spoil. This isn't necessarily so. Follow these guidelines to help save your food supply:
- Keep freezer and refrigerator doors closed; open them only if it's necessary. Food will stay frozen for 36 to 48 hours in a fully loaded freezer if you keep the door closed. A half-full freezer will keep food frozen for two full days.
- If the power is out for more than a day or two, buy ice and pack around the food.
- Use perishable foods as soon as possible. In the winter, you may be able to keep some well-wrapped foods outside. Don't refreeze poultry, seafood, ice cream or cream sauces. If the odor or color of any food is questionable, do not use it.
- If you have food that ruins, your homeowners insurance policy may possibly cover replacement expenses. In acts of nature, Habersham EMC is not liable for replacement.
And a general reminder: Remain patient. You can be assured that Habersham EMC is doing all it can to restore your power quickly and efficiently.
Together We Save
How can you lower your home power costs and increase energy efficiency? Use the helpful tools in our Energy Management section or visit togetherwesave.com. There you can take a home tour, watch short how-to videos, calculate your savings and find useful tips.
Energy Saving Tip of the Week: Apply door sweeps to the bottom of exterior doors and install weather stripping to minimize gaps and thus heat loss.
"Going Green" Tip of the Week: When shopping for new appliances, look for those equipped with energy-efficienct standby power devices that use one watt or less of energy per hour. Without these devices, applicances can draw four to seven watts per hour even when unused. The Department of Energy estimates that approximately 26 power plants are needed just to power these so called 'energy vampires."
