ATLANTA, Jan. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Edison
Electric Institute (EEI) today presented Georgia Power with the
association's "Emergency Recovery Award" for its power
restoration efforts after Hurricane Michael in October 2018.
The Emergency Recovery Award is given to select EEI member
companies to recognize their efforts to restore power to customers
after service disruptions caused by severe weather conditions or
other natural events. The winners are chosen by a panel of judges
following an international nomination process. Georgia Power
received the award during EEI's Winter
Board and Chief Executives Meeting.
"We are honored to receive EEI's Emergency Recovery Award
recognizing Georgia Power's dedication to serving our customers.
Hurricane Michael was so powerful that some of our communities,
especially those in the hardest hit areas of Southwest Georgia, are still feeling its
effects," said Paul Bowers,
chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. "Thousands of men and
women from Georgia Power and assisting utilities worked around the
clock and amid tremendous damage to restore power to nearly all
impacted customers only four days after the storm swept through the
state."
Georgia Power continuously monitored the path of Hurricane
Michael prior to the Category 4 storm entering Georgia. The historic hurricane crossed
through the state leaving 422,000 service outages in Georgia Power's territory, with the hardest
hit areas in Southwest Georgia.
Hurricane Michael was the third-strongest hurricane to make
landfall in the U.S. in modern recorded history.
"The dedication of Georgia Power's crews to restore service
throughout Georgia after Hurricane
Michael illustrates our industry's commitment to customers," said
EEI President Tom Kuhn. "Georgia
Power's crews worked tirelessly in hazardous conditions to quickly
and safely restore power. They are truly deserving of this
award."
Georgia Power estimates that damage from Hurricane Michael
included:
- More than 4,800 spans of wire down (or over 220 miles)
- Approximately 2,000 broken or damaged power poles
- More than 1,200 fallen trees
- More than 1,000 transformers damaged
More than 5,800 personnel were mobilized as part of the
company's restoration effort, including support from other Southern
Company operating companies and more than a dozen assisting
utilities. Responding personnel dedicated over 315,000 hours to the
restoration, and service was safely restored to nearly all impacted
customers four days after the storm.
Georgia Power has earned the Emergency Recovery Award seven
times since the award's inception in 1998.
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).
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI)
EEI is the
association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric
companies. Our members provide electricity for 220 million
Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric
power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities
across the United States. In
addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international
electric companies as International Members, and hundreds of
industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate
Members.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/georgia-power-earns-eei-emergency-recovery-award-for-restoration-efforts-following-hurricane-michael-300776364.html
SOURCE Georgia Power