UPSON EMC PRESIDENT/CEO KEN SIMMONS SAYS THIS AREA OF GA. DODGED A BULLET AND HIS SYSTEM WAS BLESSED , WHEN HURRICANE HELENE TOOK A TURN AWAY FROM US. AS OF LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON, UPSON EMC HAD 300 SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ON ITS SYSTEM FOLLOWING A PEAK OF AROUND 2000.
UPSON EMA DIRECTOR RICHARD HICKMON REPORTED THERE WAS LIMITED DAMAGE IN THE COUNTY, WITH TREES DOWN ON SEVERAL ROADS , BUT ALL WAS CLEAR BY EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON. HE SAID THE BIG ISSUE WAS A TREE DOWN AT THE GA POWER SUB-STATION 2 ON VETERANS DRIVE AND THAT LEAD TO ONE OF THE LONGEST ELECTRICAL OUTAGES IN RECENT HISTORY, 11 HOURS. FUN 101 RADIO WENT OFF THE AIR AT 5;30AM AND POWER WAS RESTORED AT 6;30 IN TIME FOR THE PRE-GAME SHOW FOR UPSON-LEE AND MARY PERSONS.
AS OF 7AM FRIDAY CITY MANAGER RUSSELL THOMPSON REPORTED THESE KNOWN OUTAGES--PEACHBELT ROAD, NELSON DRIVE, MALLORY STREET , ALL OF JOHNSTON HEIGHTS, AND THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE SQUARE. GA. POWER UNITS HAD TO BE DISPATCHED FROM MANCHESTER.
THREE TRAFFIC LIGHTS WERE OUT IN DOWNTOWN THOMASTON--CHURCH AT GORDON AND THE TWO ON LEE STREET AT CENTER AND CHURCH. POWER WAS ON NORTH OF THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE BUT SLICES PIZZERIA, THE MEXICAN RESTAURANT NEXT DOOR AND BIG CHIC UPTOWN HAD NO POWER AND COULD NOT OPEN FOR BUSINESS.