ATLANTA, Sept. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As the East
Coast prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Florence in the coming
days, Georgia Power is actively monitoring the storm and
coordinating with emergency partners, including GEMA and the Mutual
Assistance Network.
Georgia Power reminds customers to keep safety first during
severe weather and offers the following storm
tips:
- Before a Storm: Stay aware and check the weather
forecast before heading outdoors. Turn off air conditioners as
power surges can overload them and charge cell phones 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.
Tools You Can Use to Prepare for Severe Weather
Year-round
- Outage Alerts – Subscribe to the free Georgia Power
Outage Alert service to receive personalized notifications and
updates via text message.
- Outage & Storm Center – Available at
www.georgiapower.com/storm, customers can visit this site to sign
up for Outage Alerts, report and check the status of outages, and
access useful safety tips and information. Customers can 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, 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 Twitter – Follow @GeorgiaPower on
Twitter for storm tips, outage updates, customer service and
more.
- Emergency Plan and Kit – Visit the Georgia Power storm
page for information on how to build a family emergency plan and
emergency supply kit.
The Mutual Assistance Network
Georgia Power is part of
a national mutual assistance network consisting of dozens of
utilities from around the country. As part of this partnership,
Georgia Power line crews provide assistance to other utilities when
service to their customers is interrupted due to severe weather.
Though no requests for Mutual Assistance have been made yet,
Georgia Power will not release crews to other states to assist in
Florence restoration until it is
certain that Georgia will not be
impacted. Georgia Power is also able to tap into reinforcements
when needed to restore power quickly to Georgia customers. The company is holding all
Georgia Power resources in Georgia
in advance of Hurricane Florence and is in touch with other mutual
assistance network utilities to ensure coordination and access to
additional resources if needed following the storm.
Just last year, Hurricane Irma broke or damaged approximately
1,500 power poles, and more than 2,400 trees brought down nearly
230 miles of wire across the state. Georgia Power restored power to
nearly one million customers impacted by Hurricane Irma quickly and
safely by fully deploying company resources and leveraging the
mutual assistance network in the week following the storm.
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 2.5 million customers in all but four
of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean,
safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national
average, 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 consistently recognized by J.D. Power and
Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more
information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the
company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter
(Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram
(Instagram.com/ga_power).
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/georgia-power-prepared-for-hurricane-florence-300711674.html
SOURCE Georgia Power