ATLANTA, Ga. (WRBL) — It’s been more than a year since Hurricane Helene tore through Georgia — knocking down trees, power lines, and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity.
Now, Georgia Power is taking lessons learned from that storm to ensure customers aren’t left in the dark the next time severe weather hits.
Georgia Power serves nearly 3 million customers across the state. When Helene slammed into Georgia last September, the utility deployed 20,000 workers and support crews to restore power as quickly as possible.
FILE – Georgia Power
“Over the last decade, we’ve worked with the Georgia Public Service Commission to invest more than $10 billion into grid infrastructure and resilience,” said Alicia Brown, Georgia Power spokesperson. “That includes smart grid technology, which helps us pinpoint areas that need rebuilding and respond faster after major storms.”
Georgia Power says after Hurricane Helene, it restored power to about 95% of customers within eight days. Crews faced significant challenges in hard-to-reach areas, sometimes using boats and aerial technology to locate downed lines and inaccessible outages.
In the months since the storm, the company has rebuilt parts of its electrical system using smart grids that can reroute power automatically when damage occurs.
A car is pictured in a flooded street after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Richard Pierrin/AFP via Getty Images)
“Our smart grid investments allow us to monitor problem areas and reroute power quickly,” Brown said. “That way, we can concentrate manpower on the hardest-hit zones.”
Georgia Power says these upgrades — including stronger poles, upgraded transformers, and self-healing grids — are designed to make the system more resilient, minimize outages, and help restore power faster during future hurricanes and severe weather events.
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