ATLANTA, Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As of noon
Friday, Georgia Power has restored power to 940,000 customers
impacted by Hurricane Irma. More than 8,000 personnel are working
around the clock as part of Georgia Power's statewide restoration
effort to restore power for the approximately 55,000 customers who
remain without power due to the storm. The company is on track to
restore power to 95 percent of all customers impacted by Hurricane
Irma, who can accept power, by Saturday night or earlier. Georgia
Power originally estimated that 95 percent of affected customers
would be reconnected by Sunday evening.
Georgia Power has posted estimated restoration times (ERTs) for
dozens of cities and regions throughout Georgia at outagemap.georgiapower.com. The
company will regularly update the Outage Map and other customer
notification resources during the remainder of the Hurricane Irma
restoration process with any changes in these ERTs.
The company continues to encourage customers to keep safety in
mind throughout the restoration process:
- Watch for downed wires. Downed power lines may be hidden
by debris or fallen trees.
- Never touch any downed wire or attempt to remove tree
branches from power lines – it can kill.
- Don't step in standing water or saturated ground where
downed lines may be present. They could be electrified.
- Avoid chain link fences. They may be electrified by a
downed line out of sight and conduct electricity over great
distances.
- Watch for Georgia Power crews working across the state.
If driving, move over one lane for utility vehicles stopped on the
side of the road – it's the law in Georgia.
Teams in the Field
Georgia Power monitored the path
of Hurricane Irma for more than a week prior to the storm entering
Georgia. All of Georgia Power's resources were held in the
state prior to the storm and have remained in Georgia to lead the company's restoration
effort. The company continues to marshal its resources to restore
customers as quickly and safely as possible with staging areas in
all affected parts of the state. Restoration teams continue to face
challenges including downed trees, blocked roads and bridges that
had to be inspected by the state following flooding.
As Georgia Power completes its restoration efforts, it will
continue to work with and offer assistance to other utility
providers, such as cities and EMCs, which may require additional
resources for local power restoration.
When severe weather strikes, Georgia Power has access to
additional resources available as part of the Southern Company
system, which includes multiple electric and gas companies serving
more than 9 million customers nationwide. Additionally, Georgia
Power is part of a national mutual assistance network consisting of
dozens of utilities from around the country, and the company is
able to tap into reinforcements when needed to restore power to
Georgia customers following a
storm. While the company has contacted and requested aid through
the mutual assistance network, resources have been assigned to
harder-hit areas in Florida first
before travelling to Georgia.
Tools You Can Use
- 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.
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).
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SOURCE Georgia Power