A massive tree took down power and utility lines along Oconee Pass NE near Chippewa Place NE in Brookhaven on Oct. 10, 2026. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
ATLANTA - Communities across North Georgia are beginning the cleanup process after post-tropical cyclone Isaias knocked down trees, snapped power lines, and cut electricity to tens of thousands of homes.
Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, late Friday night as a Category 2 hurricane before weakening into a post-tropical cyclone as it moved inland over Alabama. At least four deaths have been confirmed, two in Florida and two in Alabama, primarily caused by fallen trees hitting homes.
When will power be back on?
What we know:
Utility crews made major progress Saturday afternoon, bringing statewide Georgia Power outages down to roughly 20,000 after restoring service to more than 80,000 homes and businesses.
In metro Atlanta, Georgia Power outage counts dropped significantly heading into Saturday evening:
- Fulton County: 754 outages
- Cobb County: Under 500 outages
- DeKalb County: Over 400 outages
- Gwinnett County: 44 outages
Neighborhood recovery remains active where saturated soil and high wind gusts brought down trees onto houses, utility lines, and vehicles.
In Stone Mountain, contract crews worked along Valley Creek Drive to remove a tree that collapsed on power lines and repair snapped utility cables. In Rockdale County, a falling tree crushed a parked car outside a home, missing the residence by just two feet.
In North Georgia's mountain communities, crews face a longer road to full restoration. Amicalola EMC reported more than 7,000 customers in the dark late Saturday, concentrated mostly in Pickens, Gilmer, and Lumpkin counties. Georgia Power officials said teams are deployed statewide using smart grid technology and remote switches to safely restore service as quickly as possible.
Federal disaster aid approved
Big picture view:
To support local recovery efforts, President Donald Trump approved a federal emergency declaration for Georgia on Saturday.
The declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to mobilize equipment and coordinate relief efforts across 76 designated counties, including Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Hall, Henry, Pickens, Gilmer, Lumpkin, and Rockdale.
View a full list here.
Isaias' remnants cause damage to North Georgia
Dig deeper:
The widespread damage across North Georgia stemmed primarily from a combination of saturated soil and persistent wind gusts as Isaias tracked inland. Heavy rainfall loosened the ground around tree root systems, allowing moderate wind gusts to pull down fully-leafed trees directly onto overhead power lines, homes, and roadways.
A tree crushed a car outside a home in Rockdale County as Post-Tropical Cyclone Isaias swept through North Georgia. (Photo: Michael Zenko) A fallen tree forced emergency officials to completely block East Cherokee Drive at Turners Ct. as hazardous conditions swept through Cherokee County early Oct. 10. (Credit: FOX 5 Atlanta) From: FOX 5 Atlanta Alana Lombardi, a FOX 5 viewer, submitted this photo on Calloway Mountain Road in Talking Rock. (Credit: Alana Lombardi.) A massive fallen oak tree crushed a Pensacola home along Gadsden Street Friday night as Isaias passed through the Florida Gulf Coast. (Credit: FOX 5 Atlanta) From: FOX 5 Atlanta Utility crews from Marietta Power, Planters EMC, and Canoochee EMC join Carroll EMC teams to clear fallen trees and repair power lines downed by recent storms. (Credit: Carroll EMC) A massive tree took down power and utility lines along Oconee Pass NE near Chippewa Place NE in Brookhaven on Oct. 10, 2026. (FOX 5 Atlanta) A massive tree took down power and utility lines along Oconee Pass NE near Chippewa Place NE in Brookhaven on Oct. 10, 2026. (FOX 5 Atlanta) Utility crews from Marietta Power, Planters EMC, and Canoochee EMC join Carroll EMC teams to clear fallen trees and repair power lines downed by recent storms. (Credit: Carroll EMC) Utility crews from Marietta Power, Planters EMC, and Canoochee EMC join Carroll EMC teams to clear fallen trees and repair power lines downed by recent storms. (Credit: Carroll EMC) Utility crews from Marietta Power, Planters EMC, and Canoochee EMC join Carroll EMC teams to clear fallen trees and repair power lines downed by recent storms. (Credit: Carroll EMC) DeKalb County crews work to clear a tree which fell along Access Road next to I-85 in Brookhaven on Oct. 10, 2026. (FOX 5 Atlanta) A tree fell though a window at an Atlanta home. (Credit: Kaylen Hughes) Heavy winds from Tropical Storm Isaias blew down temporary construction fencing onto North Druid Hills Road outside Cross Keys High School in Brookhaven on August 3, 2020 (FOX 5 Atlanta). Heavy winds from Tropical Storm Isaias blew down temporary construction fencing onto North Druid Hills Road outside Cross Keys High School in Brookhaven on August 3, 2020 (FOX 5 Atlanta). Crews work a huge tree that fell in Brookhaven during the aftermath of Isaias. (Credit: FOX 5 Atlanta) Utility crews from Marietta Power, Planters EMC, and Canoochee EMC join Carroll EMC teams to clear fallen trees and repair power lines downed by recent storms. (Credit: Carroll EMC) Heavy winds from Tropical Storm Isaias blew down temporary construction fencing onto North Druid Hills Road outside Cross Keys High School in Brookhaven on August 3, 2020 (FOX 5 Atlanta). Heavy winds from Tropical Storm Isaias blew down temporary construction fencing onto North Druid Hills Road outside Cross Keys High School in Brookhaven on August 3, 2020 (FOX 5 Atlanta). Heavy winds from Tropical Storm Isaias blew down temporary construction fencing onto North Druid Hills Road outside Cross Keys High School in Brookhaven on August 3, 2020 (FOX 5 Atlanta). Heavy winds from Tropical Storm Isaias blew down temporary construction fencing onto North Druid Hills Road outside Cross Keys High School in Brookhaven on August 3, 2020 (FOX 5 Atlanta). Alana Lombardi, a FOX 5 viewer, submitted this photo on Calloway Mountain Road in Talking Rock. (Credit: Alana Lombardi) A massive uprooted tree rests across a yard after striking a home on Samaria Court in Tucker, causing potential structural damage with no injuries reported on Oct. 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta). Emergency crews responded after a large tree crashed onto a yellow home on Stoneleigh Way in Stone Mountain, slicing the garage in half on October 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta). A large tree trunk stretches across the yard of a DeKalb County residence on Stoneleigh Way in Stone Mountain following overnight storm damage on October 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta). A heavy tree trunk sliced through the roof of a residential garage on Stoneleigh Way in Stone Mountain during an early morning storm on October 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta). Debris and fallen tree limbs scatter across the front lawn and roof of a single-story yellow house on Stoneleigh Way in Stone Mountain on October 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta). Large tree limbs cover the roof of a Stone Mountain residence after a tree collapsed onto the home along Stoneleigh Way on October 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta). A massive tree trunk lies down in the grass after crashing into a home on Stoneleigh Way in Stone Mountain on October 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta). A massive tree trunk lies down in the grass after crashing into a home on Stoneleigh Way in Stone Mountain on October 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta). Rain falls on a damaged house along Stoneleigh Way in Stone Mountain after a fallen tree crushed part of the residence on October 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta). A massive tree rests on top of a yellow home and severely damages the garage along Stoneleigh Way in Stone Mountain after falling during early morning storms on October 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta). A massive tree crashed through the roof of a residence on Samaria Court in Tucker during early morning storms with no reported injuries on October 10, 2026 (FOX 5 Atlanta) The storm left behind severe localized destruction and crushed vehicles in neighborhoods from Stone Mountain to Rockdale County.
Brief radar-indicated tornado in East Georgia
Severe outer storm cells from post-tropical Isaias triggered tornado warnings across Screven and Burke counties, keeping a tornado watch in effect for areas stretching from Augusta to Savannah through Saturday evening.
Lingering storms, clear skies ahead
What's next:
While severe storm risks in metro Atlanta are winding down, a few trailing light showers remain possible over Rockdale, Gwinnett, DeKalb, and Henry counties through Saturday evening before clearing overnight.
Eastern zones stretching from Macon and Athens up to Toccoa in Stephens County remain at risk for trailing storm cells capable of brief twisting rotation and localized warnings before the system exits the state.
What we don't know:
Power companies haven't given an exact timeline for when the remaining 20,000 customers will get their lights back on.
Emergency officials also don't have a final dollar amount on the total storm damage yet as assessors continue tallying losses to homes, farms, and public roads.
Additionally, it remains unclear if state officials will recommend expanding federal aid eligibility to additional Georgia counties beyond the initial 76 as remaining local damage assessments are completed.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by official statements and disaster declarations from the White House Press Office and FEMA, outage tracking data from Georgia Power, Georgia EMC, Amicalola EMC, field reporting from FOX 5 reporters, and forecasts from the FOX 5 Storm Team.