Fayette and cities to conduct ‘wellness check’ on those without power; Nearly 4,000 customers in Fayette, Coweta heading into 3rd day of no power; frustrated customer says, ‘They do not answer the phone’
Nearly 1,800 homes in Fayette County and 2,200 homes in Coweta County — all served by Coweta-Fayette EMC — remain without power early Friday afternoon. Many, if not all of them are going into their third day in a row with no power and most importantly no heat as the temperatures that led to the ice storm blanketing the area Wednesday have remained cold.
Comparatively, Georgia Power has a handful of outages scattered around Coweta and Fayette counties, according to data on the company’s web site at 1:15 p.m. Friday. Customers are reporting they are not able to get through to Coweta-Fayette EMC on the phone.
Fire crews in Fayette County and its municipalities will be conducting a wellness check on residents who remain without power, according to County Administrator Steve Rapson. The county is specifically concerned about its senior citizens, Rapson noted.
The county has been in contact with both power companies but has been unable to get additional information beyond reports they are working diligently to get power restored in all parts of Fayette County.
Those without power are urged to relocate to a hotel room or with friends, family and neighbors who have power, Rapson said. Also most commercial areas in Fayetteville and Peachtree City have power and can provide temporary relief during business hours, and some are open 24 hours.
Residents with a medical emergency should continue to call 911. A non-emergency number, 770-461-HELP (4357) is designed to provide information or assistance to citizens with various non-life threatening situations.
Residents who have a home oxygen machine or need specialized medical attention may be accommodated by Piedmont Hospital, Rapson said.
Georgia Power can be reached at 1-888-891-0938 and Coweta-Fayette EMC can be reached at 770-502-0226.
The Citizen would like to hear local residents’ stories about how the power outage has inconvenienced and affected them. Please email us at editor@TheCitizen.com.
One frustrated Coweta-Fayette customer emailed The CItizen Friday afternoon:
“My power went out at 8:00 Wednesday morning and as of now, 2:00 Friday afternoon, has not been restored. Several attempts to reach Coweta-Fayette EMC have been unsuccessful. They do not answer the phone.
“We have been unable to find wood or manufactured logs in spite of repeated efforts to do so since Wednesday morning, so we have no way to heat our home. It is warmer outside than in our home.
“As one of the first customers to lose power in this week’s storm, I am left wondering how our EMC has made its decisions regarding which power outages to address first. I can personally testify that the power company has not come to the aid of those customers who were first affected.
“With no way to address this with Coweta-Fayette EMC personally, I hope you can bring some pressure to bear on them to give relief to those of us who have been in the cold since early Wednesday morning. We need a voice.”
