ATLANTA, Ga. (KFOR) — Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) continue to help towards restoring millions of Southeast residents power that was lost after Hurricane Helene impacted the area.
OG&E crews have worked hard over several days in the east metro area of Atlanta, before being reassigned to the towns of Waynesboro, Sardis and Wadley.
100 line workers and support personnel with OG&E joined nearly 50,000 workers from across at least 41 states, including the District of Columbia and Canada. Crews have worked long hours while working safely and quickly to restore local residents electricity.
According to officials with OG&E, crews have been working 16-hour shifts to restore power for Georgia residents.
“Our crews are making great headway in restoring power, and their quick, efficient work has been recognized and our crews have been called out as one of the hardest working teams in the field,” said Chad Guthrie, OG&E Director of Distribution Construction. “Restoring power to rural areas, like the communities we are helping now, adds another layer of challenges. Damaged equipment is often not easily accessible by road and the debris in wooded areas slows down progress as we work to clear a path. But with more than 250,000 Georgians still without electricity, we will continue to work to restore their power as fast and as safely as we can.”
OG&E says nearly 6 million people across 10 states were impacted by Category 4 Hurricane Helene which ravaged parts of the Southeast. But, as of 5 p.m. EDT Thursday, approximately 5.07 million people, or 84.5%, have had their power restored.
Officials with Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, who is also helping in the efforts to restore power and rebuilding due to Hurricane Helene, visited members of OG&E Wednesday, October 2, thanking them for their hard work and commended their professionalism.
“It's hard to describe the level of destruction we have seen this past week, and we feel for the residents in these communities. Some people have lost everything,” said Chris Bristol, OG&E Distribution Construction Manager. “Having power restored will help expedite their cleaning and rebuilding efforts and bring some normalcy to their lives. We will continue working daily until these communities have electricity.”
While OG&E and other electric companies have restored over 5 million residents power, they will continue to be stationed for up to 14 days, rotating crews in if more assistance is needed.
If you would like to donate towards the Hurricane Helene recovery effort, click here.
