Company making final preparations Thursday;
encourages customers to prepare for extensive damage and potential
for extended power outages
ATLANTA, Sept. 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As Hurricane Helene approaches
the coast of Florida, Georgia
Power is making its final preparations to respond to anticipated
widespread damage and potential for extended power outages across
the state. As the majority of the state of Georgia prepares to feel impacts from the
storm, the company has aligned the right resources – more than
10,000 personnel on the ground currently – and continues to refine
plans as the storm gets closer to ensure a safe and effective
response. The National Hurricane Center forecasts high winds, heavy
rainfall, flash flooding, and possible tornadoes as Hurricane
Helene enters the state. This follows the "storm before the storm"
– including heavy rains over the last 24 hours which has already
caused flooding and weakened trees.
"Helene is a very large storm, moving into South Georgia with very little time to
substantially weaken, and we expect the high winds and heavy rain
to cause significant damage in many of our communities," said
Kim Greene, chairman, president and
CEO of Georgia Power. "Our teams are well trained and experienced,
and we've been watching this storm and making every preparation
throughout the week. As conditions are safe, our teams will be in
the field working to restore power as quickly possible. Even so, we
encourage customers to keep safety first in the coming days and
prepare for the potential of power outages that could last multiple
days due to the size and extensive reach of this storm."
Support from Across the Industry
As part of its
preparations, Georgia Power has mobilized additional staff –
including from sister company Mississippi Power – to respond to
Hurricane Helene. Mobilized crews across the state have
pre-positioned restoration workers, equipment, and supplies near
areas of anticipated impact including extra transformers, poles,
cable and other equipment. All of this helps the company to restore
power more quickly and efficiently for its customers as soon as
weather conditions allow.
Georgia Power is also a member of a nationwide mutual assistance
network, which consists of hundreds of utilities from around the
country. Georgia Power has proactively mobilized crews from
over 35 companies from 11 states as far away as Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. These crews will deploy from strategic locations
across the state to begin restoring power as soon as it is safe to
do so following the storm.
Focused on Reliability Every Day
Georgia Power is
always focused on improving reliability and adding resiliency to
the power grid. In recent years, Georgia Power invested heavily in
infrastructure improvements to bolster resiliency through equipment
upgrades as well as the strategic implementation of Smart Grid
technology that enhance the company's real-time ability to identify
and quickly isolate outages that occur, as well as reroute power
remotely around damage. This technology helps minimize the number
of customers affected even before crews begin repair work in the
field.
Tools You Can Use to Stay Connected &
Informed
Customers are asked to be aware that hurricanes
have the potential to cause widespread power outages and dangerous
conditions. Emergency plans should be finalized, including a way to
stay informed before, during, and after the hurricane. It's
important to follow the advice of federal, state and local
authorities, especially for people living in low-lying areas as
flooding and heavy rain are expected.
- Outage Alerts – Customers subscribed to our free Georgia
Power Outage Alert service will receive personalized notifications
and updates via text message. Check that your contact number is up
to date to receive the latest information.
- Outage & Storm Center – Available at
www.GeorgiaPower.com/Storm, customers can visit this site to check
their contact information is updated to receive Outage Alerts,
report and check the status of outages, and access useful safety
tips and information. Customers can also report and check the
status of an outage 24 hours a day by contacting Georgia Power at
888-891-0938.
- Outage Map – Housed within the Outage & Storm
Center site, Georgia Power's interactive Outage Map provides near
real-time information, allowing users to see where outages are
occurring across the state and track estimated restoration
times.
- Georgia Power Mobile App – Download the Georgia Power
mobile app for Apple and Android devices to access storm
and outage information on the go.
- @GeorgiaPower on X (Twitter) – Follow @GeorgiaPower at
www.X.com/GeorgiaPower for storm tips, outage updates,
customer service and more.
Before, During and After a Storm Safety Tips
- Before a Storm: Stay aware, heed advice from officials,
and check the weather forecast before heading outdoors. Check your
emergency kit and family plan. Unplug major appliances and charge
cell phones and battery backups in case you lose power.
- During a Storm: Take safe shelter inside a sturdy
building away from windows and doors. Avoid contact with conductors
of electricity - appliances, metal objects, and water.
- After a Storm: Never touch any downed or low-hanging
wire – including telephone or TV wires that touch a power line.
Never pull tree limbs off of power lines yourself or enter areas
with debris or downed trees as downed power lines may be buried in
wreckage. Customers should call 911 or Georgia Power immediately if
they see a fallen or low-hanging power line.
About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest
electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's
premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and
Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.7
million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to
delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy, Georgia
Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes
nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar,
hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering
world-class service to its customers every day and the company is
recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer
satisfaction. For more information, visit
www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook
(Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), X (X.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram
(Instagram.com/ga_power).
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SOURCE Georgia Power