More than 32,000 homes and businesses in Georgia were without power Wednesday afternoon as parts of the state were beginning to feel the impact from Hurricane Michael.
Georgia Power reported at 4:32 p.m. that 17,580 customers were without power. Georgia EMC reported at 4:30 p.m. that about 15,376 of its customers were also without power.
For Georgia EMC, most of its affected customers were in five counties in southwest Georgia, where 13,558 customers were without power. In metro Atlanta, just 17 customers were without power.
READ | Here's what's closed in Georgia ahead of Hurricane Michael
An EMC spokesperson wrote in an email that “hurricane-force winds began toppling trees onto power lines and causing power outages.”
EMCs serving the affected areas are working through their emergency storm plans and will begin damage assessments and restoration work as soon as the most dangerous weather moves through the region, a spokesperson said. At the same time, EMCs in the impacted areas have arranged for additional crews and equipment from Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina to expedite the restoration process.
In total, the Georgia EMC serves more than 4.4 million people across the state. Its website is updating a map of power outages every 15 minutes.
Georgia Power is updating an outage map on its website every 10 minutes.
Hurricane Michael is now a Category 4 storm and made landfall in Florida around 1:40 p.m.
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READ | Georgia DOT prepares to clear roads as Hurricane Michael closes in
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