Every Crisp County Power Commission field employee has been working non-stop to restore power to customers since extreme winds caused by Hurricane Michael ceased.

According to a statement from CCPC General Manager Steve Rentfrow, “At one point service to virtually every customer on our system was interrupted.”

Some customers may be without electicity for several days, he added.

“The Commission is working to get all customer service restored as soon as possible,” Rentfrow said. “To assist in the effort the Commission has brought in outside help from other public power communities.”

These outside field workers include six trucks and 14 linemen from the City of Marietta as well as a crew from Lafayette, Ga. and two crews from cities in Tennessee.

“We ask our customers to be understanding of the unprecedented magnitude of this event,” Rentfrow said.

As of 8:00 a.m. Friday, approximately 90 percent of Crisp County residential and commercial customers were without power.

High wind speeds prevented CCPC crews from deploying as soon as outages began. Sustained winds during the storm reached a minimum of 40 mph locally with gusts reaching at least 75 mph.

CCPC bucket trucks cannot safely operate once wind speeds exceed 30 mph, and even then it is extremely dangerous for field workers. Rentfrow said bucket trucks could roll over in the winds and injure or even kill linesmen.