Prepare for power outages this storm season

AUGUSTA, Ga. - This spring Georgia Power says they're prepared for thunderstorms and the power outages that come along with them.

Lightening and car accidents are the two most frequent causes of power outages according to Georgia Power.

An accident caused by a garbage truck caused nearly 100 homes in a neighborhood of Mike Padgett Highway to lose power Friday afternoon.

Georgia Power spent four hours fixing the power lines after the truck knocked over the power pole.

Repairman Curtis Crawford says when the lines go down he comes out!

"I've been working with Georgia Power for 26 years," Crawford said.

The pole fell down right in front of Tonya Mueller's home.

"It sounded like a tree falling," Mueller said. "I just thought oh crap, what am I going to do."

The power outage and mess in her front yard slowed Mueller from running errands, but she says the company fixed the problem quick.

"We had to replace the old pole with a new pole," Crawford said.

Getting the live wires off the ground was Georgia Power's first concern

Crawford's advice is to never touch or go near wires if a pole is down because there's a good chance the cords are dangerous.

Crawford says he's on call rain or shine, so if there's a power outage Georgia Power will get to it.

"We might be a little slow, but we're not that slow," Crawford said.

Mueller said she and some of her neighbors were going to buy candles and have fun with it.

"Camping out in the living room," Mueller said.

The power is back on in Mueller's neighborhood, but phone lines and cable will be down for some people until Monday.

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