September 26, 2024
HELENE
Commemorating the hard work of everyone who came to help during the most destructive storm in Georgia Power history.
Hurricane Helene made landfall at 11:10 p.m. on Thursday, September 26, 2024, as a Category 4 hurricane and entered South Georgia near Valdosta, bringing 80-100 mph winds, heavy rain, and severe damage. The final assessments of the devastation caused by the storm would show that it had destroyed much of the electric grid infrastructure in many communities across Georgia.
In the hours, days, and weeks after the storm’s impact, thousands of Georgia Power employees – no matter where they were or what their role in the company’s day-to-day operations are – dropped everything to serve their communities. As we commemorate one year since this historic storm upended life across the state we call home, we wanted first and foremost to try and capture a sense of the breadth not only of the storm’s damage, but of our company’s response, both from a power restoration perspective as well as that of our communities.
In attempting to represent the full story of this watershed moment for our state, we spoke with a wide range of people whose actions and leadership during these days and weeks typified our mission to be A Citizen Wherever We Serve. There are thousands more stories to tell, but we hope that by presenting this snapshot, we can get to the heart of what we know to be true—that Georgia is our home, and we are proud to be in its service.
Our digital book is dedicated to each and every one of our employees, partners, communities, and family members—without whom we would not be able to tell this story.
About Hurricane Helene and the restoration efforts.
Damage to Infrastructure
Throughout the storm's path, damage to the grid's infrastructure was so severe that crews were effectively rebuilding rather than simply reconnecting.
- 11,800+ power poles broken
- 1,500+ miles of downed power lines
- 5,800+ transformers damaged
- 3,200+ trees impacting lines
- 345+ transmission structures rebuilt or repaired
Impacted Communities
In the hardest-hit counties across the state, downed trees, flooding, and broken power poles contributed to service interruptions for nearly all customers.
- 1.5 million total outages
- 53 counties declared major disaster sites by FEMA
- 523,000+ customers had power restored within the first 48 hours.
- 95% of affected customers had been restored within the first 8 days.
- Restorations will continue until every single customer has been restored.
Largest Restoration Operation in Our History
Thousands of front-line personnel across disciplines took part in the restoration efforts – from damage assessment to line crews, vegetation management teams, logistics and supply teams, and more.
- 20,000+ personnel responding
- 35+ assisting partner companies
From California, Florida, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Canada
- Helicopters, boats, and unmanned aerial vehicles – along with other technologies – allowed crews to access lines in hard-to-reach areas and restore power for thousands of customers in the storm’s hardest-hit areas.
