ATLANTA, June 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2021 Atlantic
Hurricane Season is here, and Georgia Power is encouraging its 2.6
million customers to prepare for an expected active Atlantic
hurricane season. Forecasters predict a 60% chance of an
above-normal season, as the official start of hurricane season
begins today, June 1.
Georgia Power reminds customers to keep safety first during
hurricane season, and take time now to ready themselves, their
families and their homes. The company has launched a new video
series answering some of the questions most often asked by our
customers.
- What causes outages during a storm?
- What happens after a storm?
- When will my lights be back on?
- How do you get the lights back on?
- What about my food?
Georgia Power also offers tips for preparedness year-round:
- Build an emergency kit – Gather supplies that will last
for several days for everyone living in your home. Don't forget to
consider the unique needs each person or pet may have in case you
have to evacuate quickly. Check out Georgia Power's video about the
supplies to collect to build and maintain a robust emergency
kit.
- Have an emergency plan – Talk to your friends and family
about how you will communicate in an emergency.
- Understand your risks – Learn more about threats from
potential emergencies around your home and business, such as
flooding potential, dangerous trees and likelihood of blocked
evacuation routes, and plan appropriate responses to them.
- Downed Tree Safety – Downed trees are usually the cause
of an outage after a major storm. Never attempt to pull tree limbs
off wires yourself.
- Generator Safety – Never use generators in an
enclosed space or near open windows. They produce dangerous carbon
monoxide that can't be seen or smelled.
Severe weather can happen anytime across Georgia:
- Before a Storm: Know your risks of storm surge and
tropical storm or hurricane strength winds. Check your emergency
kit, unplug major appliances and charge cell phones in case you
lose power.
- During a Storm: Have several ways to receive emergency
notifications and weather updates. If your area is under an
evacuation order, follow safety orders from local officials
immediately.
- After a Storm: Never touch any downed or low-hanging
wire, including telephone or TV wires that could touch a power
line. Never pull tree limbs off power lines or enter areas with
debris or downed trees as downed power lines may be buried in
wreckage. Additionally, do not walk or drive through standing water
as it may conceal live wires brought down by the storm.
Customers should follow @GeorgiaPower on Twitter and
at www.GeorgiaPower.com/Storm for storm tips, information
about restoration efforts, customer service and more.
Additional Tools You Can Use:
- 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.
- Outage Alerts – Subscribe to the free Georgia Power
Outage Alert service to receive personalized notifications and
updates via text message.
Infrastructure Investment – Reliability and Resiliency
The company continually invests in infrastructure to increase the
day-to-day reliability of its systems and shorten outage and repair
time. The company's use of Smart Grid technology and increased
automation in recent years mean an increased ability to more
quickly isolate outages that do occur to smaller numbers of
customers and reroute power remotely for improved reliability.
In addition, Georgia Power's operational plans, systems,
infrastructure and generating plants are all designed to enhance
the resiliency of the network to best withstand major occurrences,
such as severe weather events, including tornadoes, hurricanes and
extreme heat or cold. Resiliency investments include upgrading
transmission and distribution infrastructure across the power grid,
including making power lines more durable.
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 2.6
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
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), Twitter
(Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram
(Instagram.com/ga_power).
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SOURCE Georgia Power