As of 9:06 a.m., Feb 1

Gordon County Sheriff Mitch Ralston reports that Plainview Road is completely shut down and Ga. 53 from Calhoun to Sonoraville is down to one lane to allow power crews to reach downed lines. Ralston encourages residents to avoid this area. Motorists in this area should expect heavy delays.

Previous update

As of 8:42 a.m., Feb. 1

According to Gordon County Sheriff Mitch Ralston:

A state of emergency remains in effect for the storm affected areas of Gordon County, particularly in the Sonoraville/Farmville/Plainview communities, Cash, Lewis' Corner, McGill Mountain, and Trimble Hollow locations. The following roadways are still closed due to either storm debris, downed trees and/or utility lines, or flooding:

Watertank Road near Sugar Valley

Covington Bridge Road near Cash

Sam Hunt Road near Fairmount

Knight Road near Red Bud

Langford Road near Red Bud

Meadowlark Drive near Cash

Whipporwill Drive near Cash

Cardinal Road near Cash

Cardinal Boulevard near Cash

Stone Mill Subdivision (all roadways) near Farmville

Farmington Subdivision (all roadways) near Farmville

Non-emergency vehicle traffic will be restricted. Residents of these areas will be

allowed to go to and from thier own homes.

Travel is not restricted in areas unaffected by the storm, and people may go about their business, but residents are urged to not attempt to drive in or through restricted areas.

A curfew will remain in effect during the hours of darkness in the storm affected areas.

No contractors will be allowed into the restricted areas without a County Government - issued 'Temporary Contractors Permit'. These permits may be obtained at Fire Department Headquarters at 400 Belwood Road in Calhoun. Contractors must show a business license and proof of insurance to obtain a temporary permit. Law enforcement officers will inspect permits in the storm affected areas.

The Sheriff has deployed state and local law enforcement officers throughout all of the communities affected by the storm, and these officers will maintain a concentrated presence as long as is necessary.

Sheriff Ralston will issue further updates and announcements as needed.

Power crews still working

North Georgia EMC line crews along with crews called in from neighboring utilities continue to work in the hardest hit areas of Gordon County. As of 4 a.m. Friday, electricity has been restored to all but 600 members.

More than 4,000 customers lost power Wednesday when violent storms caused extensive damage to trees, homes, and NGEMC’s electric system. Crews have been working continuously to restore power.

“Now we are in the last stages of the restoration process and we are working to rebuild spans of line that each serve only a few members. Many of these lines are cross country and are hard to reach,” said Jeff Brown, NGEMC Vice President of Operations and Engineering.

According to Brown, NGEMC hopes to have the majority of power restored by tonight; however, isolated outages may continue through Saturday if weather conditions and traffic issues create delays in the restoration efforts. Customers without electricity in areas where power to nearby homes has been restored should report their outage to NGEMC. Customers may report power outages through the NGEMC Mobile App, the NGEMC Mobile Web App, or by calling their local NGEMC office and using the automated telephone outage reporting system.

“We appreciate everyone’s support and patience. Once again, you, our neighbors and members, have responded to devastation with grace and strength. All the kind words of encouragement and notes of appreciation mean a lot to the crew members who are committed to serving their communities,” said Brown.

NGEMC also extends great appreciation to the EPB of Chattanooga, Carroll EMC, Coweta Fayette EMC, Diversified Services, Sumter Utilities, WA Kendall, Asplundh, Trees Unlimited, and CN Utility Consultants for joining us in our power restoration efforts.

For updated power outage information please visit www.ngemc.com and NGEMC’s Facebook page.

Stay away from fallen power lines and report them immediately to NGEMC, your local utility, or 911.