Northwest Georgia area is surrounded by natural beauty, but a combination of dynamic weather and natural elements can provide a challenge for the power grid.
Leading causes of storm related outages:
Wind + Rain: Saturated ground from heavy rainfall creates soft soil around the roots of large trees growing a short distance from power lines. High winds then push the trees into the lines or drop limbs onto the lines, often from outside the maintained right-of-way.
Lightning: Strikes to NGEMC’s system are usually absorbed by protective devices called lightning arresters. Depending on the voltage of the strike, these arresters may operate during or after the storm, causing a minor fault that safely opens a circuit without damage to essential equipment (i.e., transformers).
Motor vehicle accidents: Accidents are possible at any time, but become more likely during inclement weather. Our first priority is always safety, and emergency responders attend to those involved and clear the accident before crews can begin to make repairs.
Ice: A build-up of ice on electric equipment during winter storms can cause a fault in the circuit. This cause is becoming less common on NGEMC’s system, but is still a possibility.
What’s next?
Local crews are on duty every day 24/7 to respond to outages as they occur.
Members can report outages by logging in to their account online or by using our automated phone line.
Our system can detect when and where outages are happening, which we confirm by member reports. However, we cannot know the cause of an outage until a crew arrives on the scene and inspects the lines.
In the event of widespread outages, crews will isolate and repair damage closer to the substation first to allow energy to flow and identify other damaged areas further down the line. Full outage restoration typically takes several hours following a moderate storm due to the high number of isolated instances of damage.
