Georgia Is Still in the Grip of Cold and Power Outages

Even with a fire in the fireplace, it was a chilly 47 degrees in Bernadette Martin’s house Monday.

And like the more than 100,000 other Georgians still without power after an ice storm over the weekend, she was worried about temperatures dropping even lower and the possibility that the electricity may not be turned back on until Wednesday.

Martin kept telling her 4-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter, bundled in winter coats as they played in the living room, that they were on a glorified camping trip. Outside, the power line drooped next to the driveway, where it fell after a tree branch knocked it down over the weekend.

“I hate to leave the house in case everything freezes,” Martin said. “But we might have to get a hotel for the kids to keep them warm, if we can find one of those that has power.”

The storm spread snow, ice and rain and cut off electricity across much of the Southeast. More than half a million customers lost power in Georgia, and thousands also were blacked out in Alabama and the Carolinas.

Preliminary damage estimates in Georgia were $25 million, according to state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine.

The Red Cross opened 10 shelters in Georgia for people without heat, and Gov. Roy Barnes declared a state of emergency in 20 communities. Schools from Atlanta north were closed Monday.

Georgia got more snow Monday, and the forecast called for temperatures to plunge into the teens and 20s Monday night. Another round of freezing rain is in the forecast.

The Carolinas also were hit with a new round of snow and ice, with more than 8 inches falling in some areas. An estimated 44,000 customers remained without power in South Carolina and three traffic deaths in that state were blamed on the weather. About 18,000 customers were without power Monday night in North Carolina.

About 3,000 Georgia Power Co. workers have toiled almost around the clock since the storm hit late Saturday. Yet 51,000 customers--most of them in the Atlanta area--still had no electricity Monday night. An additional 21,000 customers of electric membership cooperatives were without service.

The effort to restore power was hampered by fallen trees and limbs blocking streets. In some neighborhoods, one street had power and the next was dark.

“Knowing what the weather is going to do stimulates us even more to get the power back on as quickly as possible,” said Georgia Power spokeswoman Lisa Frederick. “But with the sheer number of people impacted by this and the sheer size of the area, it’s going to take time.”

The storm and power outages didn’t interfere with preparations for Sunday’s Super Bowl, which will be played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

“The majority of visitors will be here Thursday or Friday,” said Andrew Vedlitz, vice president of marketing for the Super Bowl.