Clean-up continues after high winds in Fayette, PTC
The passage of Tropical Storm Irma through Fayette and Coweta counties on Sept. 11 left thousands without power and significant storm damage to trees and power lines to be cleared from roadways and private property.
City and county officials by Sept. 15 said much of the recovery work was well on the way to being completed.
The end of the week also saw power restored to homes and businesses.
Above, Waffle House at Gingercake Road in Fayetteville is rarely seen dark like this photo in the aftermath of high winds Sept. 11. Lights were back by the next day, and the waffles are rolling out as usual. Photo/Joyce Beverly.
The National Weather Service measured peak wind gusts on Sept. 11 in this area as follows: 52 mph at 2:30 p.m. Monday 1 mile south-southeast of Fairburn, 51 mph in Newnan at 2:55 p.m., and 48 mph at 2:37 p.m. in Peachtree City.
Fayette County Public Works Director Phil Mallon said clean-up efforts will probably take another week. The overall damage to public right-of-way areas was relatively minimal, Mallon said, adding that crews worked on 10-hour shifts to accomplish the task.
Peachtree City Manager Jon Rorie said, with the degree of damage, the first step was to prioritize the recovery efforts, adding that additional calls continued to come in after the storm left the area.
A significant part of the recovery effort falls to the city’s public works department, Rorie said, noting that it is likely that the clean-up will take two weeks.
That said, Rorie noted that the recovery effort involves a large cross-section of city employees from a variety of departments.
Fayetteville City Manager Ray Gibson said planning and preparation by city staff and residents ensured that Irma’s impact was minimal. Gibson on Monday said clean-up efforts were complete.
Along with managing storm-related calls and traffic accidents, the police department worked with volunteers and organizations to deliver meals to homes without power.
Across Line Creek in Coweta County, EMA Director Jay Jones, four days after Irma barreled through, said all roads had been cleared.
Georgia Power over the weekend showed no customers without electricity in the two-county area.
Coweta-Fayette EMC on its website said all power had been restored in Fayette and Coweta by 5 p.m. on Sept. 14.
