Extreme weather and wind overnight Tuesday, March 4, left a mess across Gilmer County, resulting in schools closing their doors Wednesday.
“We have to err on the side of caution for student safety … [that] morning, we let everybody know that we closed due to some power outages and travel disruptions, but what we didn’t say is that we did have a little bit of damage at a couple of our schools,” Gilmer County Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley said.
An awning at the high school was damaged during the overnight storm, resulting in buses not being able to drive under it. He added that a good number of their workers and administrators were brought in on Wednesday, and maintenance crews cleared away anything left from the storm, including the awning.
“With so many kids out of power [from the storm], it didn’t seem likely that we would get much done as a virtual day,” Ridley added. “It’s always difficult to make that call because here we’re dealing with two power companies, and it’s hard to make those assessments.”
On Thursday, March 6, GCSS announced that schools had to have a delayed start time of two hours, due to potential black ice in elevated areas.
A statement from the National Weather Service reported that falling temperatures overnight Wednesday turned wet roadways from the storm into slick ice, and urged drivers to remain cautious on their morning commute.
Downed trees and power lines caused widespread outages and road closures on Wednesday, with the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office telling drivers to use extreme caution if they had to travel.
On its website, Amicalola EMC stated that as of 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, they had more than 2,500 outages in around 100 separate locations. Crews worked overnight to fix broken poles, and more were dispatched in the morning.
Georgia Power also reported widespread outages around Fort Mountain State Park, and some customers were without power around Ellijay and East Ellijay. All outages have since been restored.
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(March 5, 2025) Extreme weather overnight left a mess across Gilmer County, resulting in schools closing their doors today.
“We have to err on the side of caution for student safety … this morning we let everybody know that we closed due to some power outages and travel disruptions, but what we didn't say is that we did have a little bit of damage at a couple of our schools,” Gilmer County Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley said.
An awning at the high school was damaged, resulting in buses not being able to drive under it. He added that a good number of their workers and administrators were brought in, and maintenance crews are clearing away anything left over from the storm, including the awning.
Downed trees and power lines have caused widespread outages and road closures, with the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office urging drivers to use extreme caution if they have to travel.
On its website, Amicalola EMC stated that as of 6 a.m., they had more than 2,500 outages in around 100 separate locations. Crews have worked overnight to fix broken poles, and more have been dispatched this morning.
Georgia Power is reporting outages around Fort Mountain State Park, with an estimated restoration time of 7 p.m. Customers without power around Ellijay and East Ellijay should have that restored by around 5:15 p.m., according to estimates.
To report an outage, Amicalola EMC customers can call 706-276-0359, and Georgia Power customers can call 888-660-5890.