Why you need a backup generator
Hurricane Helene was a horrific storm and our prayers go to all those affected. The following statistics from Georgia illustrate why backup power is necessary because outages can last a long time. After Super Storm Sandy, the last facility to get reconnected had been out of power for 31 days. Over 80% of outages are due to downed wires caused by weather events.
Just for the state of Georgia Hurricane Helene caused:
5,000 power poles that need to be repaired or replaced
1,500 trees fell on GP power lines
Image how long it will take to handle this devastation. All states and utilities chip in to help, and repair crews from across the country have arrived to help and restore power as quickly as possible. But it will take time. Imagine if multiple geographically dispersed events occur closely in time. This resource sharing would be impossible and the number of people without power and the length of time they are without power will dramatically increase. Climate change makes this increase more likely.