I can’t recall a time in my career, or maybe my life, when I’ve seen anything like Hurricane Helene. It’s impossible to believe unless you’ve seen it up close, and, even then, it is difficult to describe — pictures simply don’t do it justice. I visited some of the hardest-hit areas in Georgia in the days following the storm, and what I saw broke my heart.
The destruction was never-ending in places, it just continued for miles and miles. And it’s even more sobering when I stop to think that some of our very own teammates — many working to restore power themselves — were facing devastating damage to their own homes, cutting their way through fallen trees (and some even walking for miles) to get to work and waiting for power to be restored for their families.
When I saw the devastation in Augusta, Savannah, Valdosta and Vidalia — and many other areas in between — it quickly became clear to me that this was no ordinary storm. In fact, Helene was the most destructive hurricane in our company’s 140-year history, exceeding the damage caused by hurricanes Michael, Matthew and Irma combined.
Thankfully, we have a world-class team that ensured Georgia Power was ready to respond. We monitored Helene’s progress from the moment it formed and put plans into place for what we expected to be an extended restoration process. We pre-positioned more than 10,000 personnel around the state who were ready to get to work as soon as the storm passed and it was safe. As damage assessment reports came in from across the state, we ultimately doubled the number of personnel engaged to more than 20,000 with crews coming from across the country.
Usually after a major storm, we talk about our work in terms of restoration. For Helene, we’re talking about rebuilding sections of the power grid entirely. Helene damaged more than 8,300 power poles and almost 350 transmission structures, downed more than 1,000 miles of power lines, damaged more than 4,500 transformers and toppled thousands of trees that had to be removed before power could be restored. This was a major restoration and reconnection project that had to be completed as quickly as possible. Fortunately, our team is the best in the business, and we were able to restore power to more than 1.5 million customers safely and efficiently. However, we know full reconstruction will be a much longer process.
This was a historic storm that required an unprecedented response and coordination from so many other teams across Georgia. State leaders, including Gov. Brian Kemp, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and other state agencies, members of the Georgia Public Service Commission, as well as members of the Georgia legislature and its leadership, alongside local county commissioners, mayors, first responders, law enforcement and countless others, were all on the ground with us and continue to be incredible partners as we rebuild our infrastructure.
As so many of our customers and neighbors try and return to some semblance of “normal,” Georgia Power will be here to help. From working directly with customers to suspend disconnections and waive late fees, to quickly getting funding directly to local organizations serving our state’s most impacted communities, we’re committed to being “A Citizen Wherever We Serve.”
Though I felt disbelief at the devastation I saw, I was and continue to be inspired by the kindness, resilience and fighting spirit exhibited by our employees and neighbors. From handwritten cards and signs with words of encouragement for lineworkers posted at the areas around our staging sites, to communities coming together to share essential resources like food and water, to local leaders going above and beyond to coordinate aid, the worst of Helene brought out the best in us.
For your kindness, compassion and patience, thank you to our Georgia Power customers, communities, employees and partners. More than ever, I am proud to be a Georgian, proud to be a part of this team and grateful to be a part of this community.
Our road to recovery may be long, but we are here for Georgia, and we are here for you.
Kim Greene is the chief executive officer of Georgia Power.
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