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The storm that blew through the county on Friday,
June 29, caused such severe damage that crews of power company workers
are still at work repairing the damage.
According to Calhoun County Office of Emergency
Services (OES), there were, as of
noon
on Tuesday, approximately 1,144 customers still without electricity.
Power company officials had told OES that they hope
to have power restored to the majority of customers by midnight on Tuesday. Other customers in harder to reach
locations may not have power restored until the end of the week.
Of course, the power would be off during the
longest stretch of severely hot weather in recent memory. While everyone
was sweltering in the intense heat and humidity, power crews were
enduring the temperatures while struggling to restore power under severe
conditions.
In some cases, crews had to lug power poles into
places where even four-wheel drives could not go. The infrastructure of
the power grid in the county has been repaired so many times that entire
lengths of line had to be completely replaced. The old lines contained
too many splices to make a simple repair possible.
Many transformers in the county also blew up when
the power surged as the storm hit. New transformers have been installed
where needed.
All three volunteer fire department stations will
continue to be manned as long as they have ice and water to hand out and
people to man the facility. The fire stations are also still operating
as cooling stations for those in need.
OES officials are meeting this week with FEMA
emergency teams to assess damage and report back to federal officials.
UPDATE: FRIDAY JULY 13, 2012
The FEMA damage assessment done on Tuesday was for
damage to public infrastructure only, not for individual assessment. The
Chronicle was advised of this by FEMA on Friday and apologize for any
confusion the print edition may have caused for individuals contacting
FEMA directly
If you have severe damage from this disaster, take
pictures of the damage from several angles to record the damage. As soon
as possible, contact your insurance company to see what coverage you
have and what your insurance company can do for you. Report all damage
to Calhoun Office of Emergency Service. Calhoun OES will compile damage
reports from individuals to submit to the governor who will forward the
reports to the President for consideration for a disaster declaration
making individuals eligible for assistance.
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