Weekend Ice Storm Hits Southeast
Release Date: January 24, 2000
Release Number: HQ-00-016
Washington, DC -- The National Weather Service reports a winter storm produced a damaging ice storm in parts of the Southeast over the weekend. The storm knocked down trees and power lines and closed schools across parts of northern Georgia. Especially hard hit were parts of northern Georgia and Alabama and the Carolinas. The precipitation is ending today, though forecasters think additional frozen precipitation is possible in North Carolina today.
The ice storm knocked out power to an estimated 340,000 customers in Georgia on Sunday. More than 200,000 customers remained without power at last report Sunday evening. Some Georgians are expected to be without electrical service into Tuesday.
Approximately 20,000 customers are reported without power in North Carolina this morning. Crews are working to restore power throughout the region. Dozens of school districts are closed today as cleanup crews work to clear roads and remove debris from the storm.
The Governor of Georgia has declared a local state of emergency for 20 hard-hit counties, including Banks, Barrow, Carroll, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clayton, Dawson, DeKalb, Fannin, Forsyth, Fulton, Gilmer, Gwinnet, Habersham, Hall, Lumpkin, Oconee, Pickens, Rockdale and Stephens.
The State Emergency Operations Center was partially activated on Sunday, January 23. Georgia National Guard is providing generators and other support for the recovery operations. State Forestry is providing assistance to local jurisdictions for debris removal and Incident Command support. The American Red Cross also opened seven shelters in northern Georgia.
FEMA's regional office in Atlanta (Region IV) is in communication with state officials and will continue to monitor the situation.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 29-Oct-2003 16:29:25