ATLANTA, July 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A workforce
involving hundreds of Georgia Power personnel is assessing damage
and working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible to
customers impacted by Tropical Storm Elsa. High winds, heavy rain
and reported tornadoes have led to fallen trees and downed power
lines across coastal Georgia.
As of 11:30 a.m. Thursday,
approximately 6,350 customers were without power as a result of the
storm, with the majority of the outages in Chatham, Effingham and Glynn counties in Southeast
Georgia. Winds of tropical storm strength for several straight
hours Wednesday have downed trees and limbs resulting in broken
poles, damaged transformers and spans of wire down. The company
expects to have 95 percent of these customers who can accept power
restored by 10 p.m. tonight.
Georgia Power has mobilized crews from other parts of the state
to assist in restoration efforts. Customers are encouraged to keep
safety in mind as dangerous conditions can exist following
storms.
The company has developed a series of storm videos addressing
customers' frequently asked questions about storm response and
restoration that can be found here. Customers should follow
@GeorgiaPower on Twitter and at www.GeorgiaPower.com/Storm for
storm tips, information about restoration efforts, customer service
and more.
After the Storm Safety Tips:
- 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.
- Protect electronics and appliances. Disconnect or turn
off any appliances that will start automatically when power returns
to avoid overloading circuits when power is restored.
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