UPDATE

Students return to DeKalb elementary school after power outage

The Woodland Hills neighborhood lost power after a tree fell on Briar Vista Terrace overnight, causing the DeKalb County School District to temporarily relocate students at Briar Vista Elementary.
The Woodland Hills neighborhood lost power after a tree fell on Briar Vista Terrace overnight, causing the DeKalb County School District to temporarily relocate students at Briar Vista Elementary.
Updated Sept 18, 2024

Students, teachers and staff at a DeKalb County elementary school returned to their campus after spending Wednesday morning at a nearby high school due to a power outage.

Briar Vista Elementary School students began their school day at Druid Hills High School after a fallen tree knocked out power in the neighborhood, DeKalb schools spokesman Donald Porter told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Power was restored to the area around 9 a.m., and students came back to Briar Vista at midday after having lunch at Druid Hills, Porter said.

A fallen tree took out powerlines in DeKalb County's Woodland Hills neighborhood.
A fallen tree took out powerlines in DeKalb County's Woodland Hills neighborhood.

A large tree fell on Briar Vista Terrace in DeKalb’s Woodland Hills neighborhood overnight, cutting power to more than 900 homes and the elementary school. The outage did not appear to extend to nearby Emory University.

The downed tree shut down Briar Vista Terrace well before sunrise, but Georgia Power expected to have service restored by midmorning, according to the utility’s website. Power had been restored to most homes by around 8:30 a.m.

Despite the quick work to restore power, the situation was not resolved before students began to arrive for school. Briar Vista Elementary starts at 7:45 a.m., according to the school system’s website.

About the Author

Henri Hollis is a reporter and restaurant critic for the Food & Dining team. Formerly a freelance writer and photographer with a focus on food and restaurants, he joined the AJC full-time in January 2021, first covering breaking news. He is a lifelong Atlantan and a graduate of Georgia Tech.

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