UPDATE: Thousands Still Without Power

Lacie Newton with EPB reports that as of 5 pm. 4,000 customers are currently without power in their service area (app. 600 square miles). Newton says they hope to have all the power restored by 3:00 am. They currently have 64 crews working.

The outages are due to the high winds that hit the area around 4:30 a.m. One of the highest wind gusts of 52 mph toppled a tree that killed an 18-year-old in Athens.

The largest concentrations of EPB customers without power are in Apison, McDonald, Ooltewah, and East Brainerd areas.

They have over 40 crews in the field, working to restore power as quickly as possible.