AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Georgia's largest utilities both say Hurricane Helene was the most destructive disaster in their history.

Meanwhile, reinforcements continue to arrive as grid controllers from other utilities across the country arrive in the region to help restore power.

Travelers on Interstate 20 could see convoys of commercial vehicles bearing a rainbow of colors and logos — like the orange of Oklahoma Gas & Electric — rolling toward Augusta on Sunday.

They are among more than 14,000 employees, including at least 1,000 in Augusta, deployed to repair the Georgia Power system.

Hundreds more line workers from out of state have come to help Georgia electric cooperatives. Many of them live in makeshift “tent cities” where they sleep and eat.

Georgia Power said Sunday that the Category 1 storm early Friday destroyed or severely damaged:

• More than 5,000 electricity pylons.
• More than 425 miles by cable.
• More than 500 transformers.

In addition, more than 1,500 trees will need to be removed from power lines to restore power.

Georgia electric cooperatives agree it was the most devastating storm ever.

“The extent of damage observed is unprecedented, including hundreds of trees on transmission lines and downed poles,” said Georgia Electric Membership Corp., which represents the state’s electric cooperatives.

PHOTO GALLERY:

Georgia Transmission, which distributes the electricity, reports that 80 of the more than 100 substations shut down by Helene are now back in full operation.

Repairing high-voltage power lines is proving more challenging, but progress continues to be made.

Co-ops expect several more days of outages, with the hardest-hit areas expected to be without power for at least a week or more.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

View the map of Georgia power outages

Hurricane Helene continues to impact Georgia and has caused widespread outages. Teams respond to outages and safely restore power where possible as quickly as possible.

Georgia Power gave a more specific timeline, saying 95% of Augusta customers who are eligible to receive power should have power restored by Oct. 5.

The date is October 3 for McDuffie County.

And as Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson said at a news conference Saturday, some people may be luckier than others.

Lights shone Saturday evening in a strip of Martinez just across Interstate 20 from Doctors Hospital.

And on Sunday, Columbia County Manager Scott Johnson said that “thanks to Georgia Power and our dedicated linemen, power is coming back to Evans Towne Center and throughout the county.”

Across the Savannah River, some power has been restored in North Augusta.

Repairs in that city could happen even faster now that Dominion workers are stationed at Riverview Park, Mayor Briton Williams said.

Dominion's earliest estimated restoration times in the CSRA are October 2nd for Barnwell County and October 3rd in Bamberg and Allendale counties. Damage assessments are currently underway in other South Carolina counties in the CSRA.

About 200,000 co-op members in South Carolina were still without power Saturday, down from a peak of 425,000 Friday morning.

Most of the remaining outages are concentrated in the western half of the state.

At least 1,400 cooperative power poles were broken by the storm and need to be replaced.

And nearly half of the cooperative system's substations across the state — about 80 in total — remain offline due to transmission outages.

Meanwhile, an army of about 2,000 Dominion Energy employees and 700 other contract workers worked around the clock to restore power to about 200,000 customers within 24 hours of Hurricane Helene's arrival in South Carolina.

Teams are expected to continue making progress on approximately 180,000 customers who are still without power.

GENERATOR TIPS:

• If you have a portable generator, fill up your propane cylinders and gas tanks as quickly as possible. Because if there is a power outage due to Hurricane Helene, the propane gas stations will have no electricity to power their pumps. Mark Holloway, CEO of Modern Gas, says to expect at least a two-day power outage. And do not run the generator in or near your home. The exhaust fumes will kill you through carbon monoxide poisoning.

Tips from Georgia Power:

• Outage warnings: Customers subscribed to our free Georgia Power Outage Alert service will receive personalized alerts and updates via SMS. Make sure your contact number is current to receive the latest information.
• Outage and Storm Center: Available at https://www.georgiapower.com/about/safety/outages-storm-center.html?cid=redirect_vanity_storm. Customers can visit this website to check that their contact information is updated, receive and report outage alerts, check status, learn about outages, and access useful safety tips and information. Customers can also report and check the status of an outage 24 hours a day by contacting Georgia Power at 888-891-0938.
• Failure map: Georgia Power's interactive outage map, housed in the Outage and Storm Center, provides near real-time information so users can see where outages are occurring across the state and track estimated restoration times.
• Georgia Power mobile app: Download the Georgia Power mobile app for Apple and Android devices to access severe weather and outage information on the go.
• @GeorgiaPower on X: Follow @GeorgiaPower on X for storm tips, outage updates, customer service and more.
• Before a storm: Be alert, follow advice from authorities and check the weather forecast before heading outdoors. Review your emergency kit and family plan. Unplug essential devices and charge cell phones in case the power goes out.
• During a storm: Seek safe shelter in a sturdy building, away from windows and doors. Avoid contact with electrical conductors – devices, metal objects and water.
• After a storm: Never touch fallen or low-hanging cables, including telephone or television cables that touch a power line. Never remove branches from power lines yourself, or enter areas with debris or fallen trees, as downed power lines could become buried under debris. Customers should call 911 or Georgia Power immediately if they see a downed or low-hanging power line.

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