The Latest: Around 36,000 without power in southeast Georgia

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Latest on the southeast area of Georgia recuperating after Tropical Strom Hermine. (all times local):

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10:30 a.m.

Georgia Power reports around 36,000 customers are still without power in the southeast Georgia after Tropical Storm Hermine.

Spokesman Jacob Hawkins said Saturday there are about 200,000 different damaged locations in the Savannah and coastal area. He says more than 3,000 Georgia Power crew members are going from “spot to spot” trying to fix damages from fallen trees and electrical lines.

Hawkins says more than 200,000 customers have had restored power since the storm swept through the area Thursday. He says other utility companies such Alabama and Mississippi Power are helping out.

The company says Chatham County has the most power outages out of any other county with more than 22,000. They say Chatham was hit the hardest by the storm.

Georgia Power is working with local communities in an effort to cleanup and restore the areas.

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10 a.m.

Businesses on the Georgia coast hope to salvage a profitable Labor Day weekend after Tropical Storm Hermine scared away some holiday travellers.

Joe Marinelli, president of Savannah’s visitor bureau, said Saturday the city’s hotels often see 90 per cent occupancy rates over the Labor Day period. He says some people cancelled weekend hotel reservations because they feared travelling Friday as Hermine churned across southeast Georgia.

But Marinelli says the storm-related cancellations were fewer than hotel operators feared. He says many tourists stuck with their travel plans because of sunny weather forecast for Saturday through Monday.

The storm knocked out power to thousands statewide, but did little serious damage.

Georgia Power reports around 36,000 customers are still without power in the Savannah and coastal area.

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Landrum reported from Atlanta.