Carrollton, GA—Line crews and system operators and technicians at Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative (EMC) are getting rest following two, grueling nights of service repairs when severe thunderstorms left nearly 20,000 members without power Sunday and Monday.
Starting the week with a bang, extremely hot and humid conditions created the perfect blend for fast-moving but threatening systems to develop and push across the cooperative’s seven-county service territory and other portions of the state. With all personnel on standby and additional assistance from contractors, crews were ready to be dispatched once the storms cleared.
“This summer has been brutal,” said Tommy Cook, Vice President of Operations for Carroll EMC. “We’ve been on high alert because there have been a number of pop-up storms causing significant damage. Thankfully, we received warning for Monday’s event, but we don’t always have that luxury. We have to be ready, always.”
Straight line winds of 50 to 70 MPH and heavy rain downed trees, branches and power lines leading to eight broke poles. Lightning strikes caused additional damage to infrastructure including transformer failures. Linemen worked through the night Sunday and Monday to restore power at 278 locations, and repairs continued Tuesday as leftover debris triggered more outages.
Carroll EMC reminds all Members to monitor forecasts daily and prepare for sudden changes in weather. All outages must be reported online at carrollemc.com, through the Outage Pal app or by calling (770) 832-3552 to be recorded in the system. Downed lines can also be reported using the same platforms by adding notes in the comment section online or by speaking to a representative.
For additional storm safety tips, follow Carroll EMC on social media, including Facebook, Instagram and X, or visit carrollemc.com/stormcenter.
Carroll EMC is a Member-owned cooperative providing electricity to approximately 54,000 homes and businesses. The co-op serves Members in Carroll, Haralson, Heard, Paulding, Polk, Floyd 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, X, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn. Carroll EMC: Community Built. Community Builder.
