Southwest Georgia Counties May Not Have Power Through Weekend

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Residents in Albany and Bainbridge, in southwest Georgia, may not have electricity this weekend after Hurricane Michael. / AP/File

More than 200,000 utility customers remain without power after Hurricane Michael.

Most of these residents are in the southwestern part of the state.

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Georgia Power expects to restore power in Central and West Georgia this weekend. But the Albany area will have to wait until Monday, and the Bainbridge area until Wednesday at midnight.

Ron Shipman with Georgia Power said it's a long process.

“Trees can lean on lines, can pull power lines down and then, ultimately, break power lines," Shipman said. "And in all three scenarios it could also damage our subsequent equipment, what holds the power lines.”

Many of the people in the affected areas get their electricity from Electric Membership Cooperatives or EMC's and restoration times for those customers could be different.

Damage is most severe in the Southwest part of Georgia where the storm hit as a Category 3 hurricane.