As an ice storm wreaks havoc across the South, White County in Georgia is grappling with a collapsing power grid, with nearly 70% of its residents submerged in darkness early this morning. The overnight inclement weather deposited about half an inch of ice, a substantial enough amount to down trees, yank power lines, and even spark fires - fortunately, without resulting in injuries. According to what Don Strength, the county's emergency services division chief, told FOX 5 Atlanta, about 18,000 customers were left without power, which represents a significant 64.24% of the county's electric customer base.
Strength was quoted as saying, "We are very lucky in that we have relief crews from all over the country that are staged right here in White County," as noted by FOX 5 Atlanta. These crews, alongside Georgia Power and Habersham Electric, are making strides in restoring power in some of the hardest-hit zones. With the looming threat of a secondary power outage, Strength urged residents to avoid travel, stay at home, and shelter in place. Warming shelters are available for those without power at the White County Park and Recreation Department and at Helen's City Hall.
The brutal chill extends beyond White County, affecting much of the U.S. as an expansive winter storm brings sleet, freezing rain, and snow across several states. According to WLWT, about a million homes and businesses in the Southeast were left without electricity, compounded by forecasts of ongoing inclement weather and very low temperatures expected to continue prolonging "dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts."
Impacts have been widespread, from New Mexico to New England, with Allison Santorelli, a weather service meteorologist, noting the storm's 2,000 mile impact zone. The severity prompted President Donald Trump to approve emergency declarations for at least a dozen states and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pre-position emergency resources. "It is a unique storm in the sense that it is so widespread," Santorelli was quoted. In New York, subzero temperatures are recording historical lows, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul calling the current weather an "Arctic siege," as per a report by WLWT.
