About 700,000 Georgia customers remain without power, utility company says

 

Ronda Bell looks at the damage after a tree fell on her home in Valdosta, Georgia, on Friday. 

Mike Stewart/AP

There are just over 700,000 customers without power in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, the spokesperson for Georgia’s largest utility told CNN Friday morning.

Power was restored to about 100,000 customers overnight, according to Matthew Kent, spokesperson for Georgia Power.

Outages remain in the cities of Valdosta, Columbus and Savannah, but since the storm has moved through most of those areas, crews are able to begin safely working on restoration, Kent said.

“Safety is always our top priority and keeping everyone safe, not just our linemen, but our customers as well,” he said. “Also, if there is debris down, if there’s water in your yard, stay out of that as well because that could be electrified if there is a downed power line somewhere nearby.”