Georgia

Power crews working to restore electricity after weekend storms batter Georgia

Published

6 months ago

June 8, 2025

Power crews working to restore electricity after weekend storms batter Georgia

A snapped power pole dangles in mid-air after Saturday’s storm. This photo was taken off Mud Creek Road at Herrin Road in south Habersham County. (Daniel Purcell/NowHabersham.com)

Severe weather swept across Georgia this weekend, leaving behind widespread power outages and property damage from high winds, heavy rain, and lightning. Utility crews from across the state, including Georgia Power and local EMCs, have been working nonstop to restore power and ensure public safety.

As of Sunday morning, Georgia Power reported it had restored electricity to more than 190,000 customers since Saturday. Still, thousands remain without service. Significant damage was reported in areas including Athens, Alpharetta, and Rome. Georgia Power noted that its “smart grid” technology enabled remote switching and faster restoration in some areas, even as storms continued to move through the state.

Severe storms knocked out power to tens of thousands of North Georgians. Utility crews have been working around the clock to restore service. Damaged power poles must be replaced, slowing down restoration efforts. (Hart EMC/Facebook)

Across North Georgia, electric membership cooperatives have faced similar challenges. Habersham EMC crews worked through the night to repair several broken poles and remove downed wires. The cooperative warned that restoration will take time due to the extent of the storm’s impact, and urged residents to steer clear of fallen lines.

“We know being without power is not pleasant,” Habersham EMC stated. “We greatly appreciate your continued patience and understanding. We won’t stop working until all power has been restored.”

Hart EMC reported 3,593 members still without power Sunday morning and identified five broken poles that need replacement. Three were replaced overnight, despite the labor-intensive nature of the work—each pole taking 3–4 hours to change out. Additional support came from ten Utiliclear workers who cleared trees and debris to assist linemen.

“Our crews are exhausted and hungry, yet they continue working to restore your power,” Hart EMC stated. “Please remember to stay clear of downed lines.”

Meanwhile, Blue Ridge EMC crews are addressing more than 4,000 outages caused primarily by toppled trees and lightning strikes. The utility reported 17 broken poles and asked for the public’s patience as repair efforts continue.

In Hart County, crews from UtiliClear are working with Hart EMC to clear away trees and debris so that linemen can access the broken lines and power poles. (Hart EMC/Facebook)

Jackson EMC and Amicalola EMC also responded to widespread outages. At the latest report, Jackson EMC had over 9,000 customers without power, and Amicalola EMC was working to restore service to nearly 4,000 members.

Despite the round-the-clock efforts, utility companies caution that more outages could occur. With the ground already saturated from days of rain, additional wind gusts may bring down more trees and power lines.

Safety remains top priority

Utilities are urging all residents to stay away from downed lines and poles, which could be energized and extremely dangerous. Other safety reminders include:

Never touch or move tree branches entangled with power lines.
Avoid standing water or saturated areas where lines may be hidden.
Do not approach chain-link fences that could conduct electricity.
Use generators only in well-ventilated areas and follow all manufacturer instructions.
Unplug sensitive electronics to protect against surges when power is restored.

Stay informed

Georgia Power and local EMCs are providing outage updates through their websites, social media channels, and outage maps. Customers are encouraged to sign up for outage alerts and check for real-time restoration estimates.

Visit GeorgiaPower’s online outage map for updated outage information.

Use the Georgia EMC outage map and alert systems for localized updates.

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Georgia

Georgia overcomes slow start to defeat Cincinnati in Holiday Hoopsgiving

Published

9 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Georgia overcomes slow start to defeat Cincinnati in Holiday Hoopsgiving

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Georgia center Somto Cyril goes up for a dunk during the first half against Cincinnati in their NCAA basketball game in the Holiday Hoopsgiving at State Farm Arena, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Atlanta. Georgia won 84-65. (Jason Getz/AJC)

By Olivia Sayer

6 hours ago

When Georgia basketball took the court Saturday afternoon at State Farm Arena, it resembled a team who had not faced another opponent in 11 days.

The Bulldogs came out lackadaisical with more turnovers than successful shots in the game’s first two minutes and faced an 11-point deficit before halftime.

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Olivia Sayer joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May 2025 as an intern on the sports beat. She is earning a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia with a minor in sport management and a sports media certificate. Olivia previously held the titles of digital and assistant sports editor at The Red & Black.

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Georgia

Two freshman Georgia football players arrested on shoplifting charges

Published

21 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Two freshman Georgia football players arrested on shoplifting charges

Georgia offensive lineman Dontrell Glover and running back Bo Walker were arrested for shoplifting at a Walmart on Friday, less than a week after the Bulldogs won the SEC Championship.

According to the Athens Banner-Herald, the freshmen were booked into Clarke County jail in Athens on two counts of misdemeanor shoplifting. Glover and Walker were arrested Friday evening and released on $1,526 bond before 8 p.m.

“We were informed of the charges and are currently in the process of gathering additional information,” Georgia spokesman Steve Drummond said in a statement. “This is a pending legal matter and we will not have further comment at this time.”

Walker played six games this season and rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Glover started 11 games in 2025 and was named to the All-SEC freshman team.

Last month, offensive lineman Nyier Daniels was dismissed from the team by head coach Kirby Smart after he was arrested on more than a dozen criminal charges after he allegedly tried to flee from police north of Athens.

The Bulldogs beat Alabama last Saturday in the SEC title game and earned a place in the College Football Playoff. They will play again on Jan. 1 against the winner of Ole Miss-Tulane in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

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Georgia

DOJ files suit to obtain 2020 election records in Fulton County, Georgia

Published

1 day ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

DOJ files suit to obtain 2020 election records in Fulton County, Georgia

The Justice Department sued Fulton County, Georgia, this week in an effort to obtain more than five-year-old ballots tied to the 2020 presidential election which President Donald Trump lost.

The eight-page complaint filed in federal court in Atlanta on Thursday, names Fulton County Clerk of Courts Che Alexander as a defendant, alleging that the clerk violated the Civil Rights Act by failing to produce records tied to the 2020 presidential election as requested by state and federal officials.

The lawsuit asks that the court demand that the records be produced within five days of a court order.

According to the lawsuit, the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections last month refused to comply with an Oct. 6 subpoena, from the state’s election board, for election records, including used and void ballots, stubs, and signature envelopes from the 2020 presidential election, saying in a Nov. 14 letter that the records were “under seal” in accord with state law.

The lawsuit states that the board later failed to respond to a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi on Oct. 30, demanding the records which she said were needed to review the state’s compliance with federal election laws and meet state transparency efforts.

Alexander and the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday night.

Alexander had previously said in an Oct. 21 letter to the state election board that “the records sought are under seal and may not be produced absent a Court Order,” according to the lawsuit.

Trump was indicted on felony charges in Fulton County in August 2023 along with 18 other co-defendants in connection with efforts to overturn his election loss.

Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that were dropped last month by a prosecutor who took the reins of the case following Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ disqualification from prosecuting Trump in the matter.

Georgia has long been a sore spot for Trump after a narrow loss in 2020 that he has spent years disputing.

After a manual recount of election results in Georgia that reaffirmed President Joe Biden’s narrow win in the state in 2020, Trump, who was then seeking a second term, had also called then-Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and implored him to “find” the votes needed to defeat Biden in the 2020 election. Since then he has continued to falsely claim he won the state.

The Fulton County lawsuit from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division comes as it announced on Friday that it had filed federal lawsuits against four states — Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Nevada — alleging that the states had violated the Constitution by failing to produce statewide voter registration lists upon request.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement Friday that states “have the statutory duty to preserve and protect their constituents from vote dilution.”

“At this Department of Justice, we will not permit states to jeopardize the integrity and effectiveness of elections by refusing to abide by our federal elections laws. If states will not fulfill their duty to protect the integrity of the ballot, we will,” Dhillon said.

Zoë Richards is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Michael Kosnar, Austin Mullen and Maggie Rhoads contributed.

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