Storm Wreaks Havoc; Power Lost for Many

Jasper County’s emergency personnel were busy Sunday night, cutting trees out of road from soon after storms began around 7 p.m. until about 2 a.m., when winds had died down, and most roads were clear.

In addition to deputies, firefighters and medical personnel, 11 workers with the county Public Works Department (PWD) went out in the storm and cut down trees to clear roads.

Jasper County 911 operators fielded nearly 200 calls Sunday evening, and luckily two day shift workers returned to the center and worked Sunday night until the danger had passed.

They dispatched workers to 39 road hazards, a report of lines down,. a tree on power lines on fire, as well as several accidents. Dispatchers received calls about electricity outages from residents of Monticello as well. Not all city residents lost power, and those who did mostly reported brief outages.

Meanwhile, persons with the electric providers in the county were also out trying to restore power. Much of the county lost power for some or all of Sunday night, with power returning for most by 8 a.m.

However, many residents in Shady Dale remained without power until 3 p.m. on Monday. Only about 40 households in Monticello lost power over night, all during the span of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

PWD workers returned to work Monday morning to head out on the roads and clear storm debris.

A spokesman with Central Georgia Electric Membership Corporation said that at the height of the storm some 3,300 households in Jasper County were without power. Most was restored by early Monday with a few taking longer.