ATLANTA, April 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fifth
year in row, Georgia Power and the state's other electric utilities
are celebrating and thanking linemen across the state for their
role in keeping the lights on in every community, rain or shine.
The work of linemen is visible year round, but is especially
pronounced during outages, which may occur following spring and
summer thunderstorms, tornadoes and winter ice storms.
During Georgia Power's 2017 Thank a Lineman initiative,
saying "thank you" is easy just by signing the digital card at
www.georgiapower.com/thankalineman. Additionally, Georgians can
engage with linemen stories and the national initiative on social
media by using and following #ThankALineman.
"From the mountains to the coast, line crews serve as the
backbone of our business, keeping our customers connected and our
state powered," said Leslie Sibert,
vice president of distribution for Georgia Power. "We're thankful
for the work that they do and are happy to take this opportunity
each year to pause and recognize their commitment to safely working
in truly challenging conditions day and night."
When Hurricane Matthew forced an evacuation of the Georgia Coast
in October 2016, thousands of Georgia
Power line personnel and linemen from assisting utilities converged
on the coast to repair damage and restore service. The hurricane
was one of the strongest storms to hit Coastal Georgia in a century
and destroyed miles of electrical infrastructure. Working safely as
a team, line personnel fully restored power to more than 338,000
affected customers earlier than expected and replaced approximately
1,000 broken or damaged power poles, replaced nearly 120 miles of
wire (3,000 spans) and cleared more than 3,500 fallen trees that
caused damage. Coastal Georgia
residents didn't wait for April to say thanks – roadsides, parking
lots and social media "lit up" in the days following the storm with
signs and letters of thanks for workers' fast
responses.
Beginning this year, Georgia
motorists can also show their appreciation for linemen thanks to
the recent passage of HB 260, legislation that creates a specialty
license plate honoring linemen. Proceeds from sales of the license
plates will benefit the Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation,
which provides assistance to families of burn patients at the JMS
Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta.
In addition to serving the company's 2.5 million customers in
Georgia, Georgia Power linemen are
often called away from their families to help restore power to
neighboring states when major storms or disasters occur. These
linemen can travel thousands of miles each year and can spend weeks
in the field helping restore power to customers as far away as
New York and Houston. Thanks in large part to these
linemen, the company has received recognition from the Edison
Electric Institute (EEI) for outstanding emergency response,
including multiple Emergency Recovery Awards and the Emergency
Assistance Award.
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, 21st century 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).
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SOURCE Georgia Power