Thomasville experienced the onset of Hurricane Debby starting Sunday, with heavy winds and rain making their presence felt across the city. By early Monday morning, over 2,000 City utilities customers were without power. Fortunately, the city fared better than initially anticipated as the storm took a northeast turn, sparing Thomasville from a potentially more severe impact.
By Monday, mutual aid crews from the cities of Calhoun, Cartersville, and Newnan had arrived to assist Thomasville’s utility crews in their power restoration efforts, as the number of customers without power quickly rose to over 5,600 by mid-morning. The hardest-hit areas included neighborhoods around Gordon Avenue and Highway 319 North. Early damage assessments reported eight broken utility poles and 30-40 downed trees. For comparison, during Hurricane Michael in 2018, Thomasville repaired 11 broken utility poles.
As of early Tuesday morning, City and mutual aid crews were still working to restore power to approximately 670 customers, decreasing to 294 by noon. The coordinated response from both local and visiting crews has been vital in addressing the storm's aftermath and aiding the city's recovery process. Interim City Manager Chris White emphasized, "Our town is blessed to have utility crews, staff members, and neighboring municipalities prepared to support Thomasville when it matters most." He went on to express, "The perseverance and restoration efforts of the team have enabled our schools to warmly welcome back students on their first day, kept our medical facilities operational, and ensured the safety and security of our neighborhoods."
City officials urge residents to remain cautious as work continues towards total restoration and report any downed power lines or unsafe conditions to the City of Thomasville at 229-227-7001 or after hours to 229-227-5499.