Crews managing final intensive restorative
efforts in hardest hit areas and will remain in the field until all
customers who can accept power are reconnected
ATLANTA, Oct. 5, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power has restored power to 1.3
million+ customers following Hurricane Helene – more than 95% of
all customers who were impacted by the most destructive hurricane
in the company's history. Intensive restoration efforts remain
underway to reconnect customers in the hardest hit areas of the
state, notably Augusta where 80% of impacted customers had been
reconnected as of Saturday morning and work was ongoing to
reconnect the approximately 50,000 customers who remained without
power. While damage and treacherous conditions remain, teams are
working around the clock and will remain in the field until every
customer who can accept power is reconnected.
"Our work isn't done until every customer who can receive power
has it – we want our customers to know that commitment is shared by
everyone on our team," said Kim
Greene, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. "We
have matched the devastation of Hurricane Helene with an army of
thousands of lineworkers, who continue to work through fallen trees
and miles of broken power poles and downed lines to bring light
back to Georgia homes and
businesses. I'm grateful for their tireless work to reconnect so
many customers so quickly, and the continued resilience and
patience of our customers and communities."
Hurricane Helene caused widespread destruction across the state
of Georgia – from Atlanta's northern suburbs, to Columbus, to Albany, to Valdosta and Savannah. Virtually no part of the state was
spared by the storm. More than 20,000 personnel have contributed to
the company's rapid response to the hurricane and remain engaged
with crews working their way through the power system efficiently
and effectively to repair extreme damage and restore power to the
most customers with every repair made. In many cases, the
damage to infrastructure has been so severe that teams are
essentially rebuilding sections of the grid and not just repairing
specific elements.
Georgia Power is a part of the Southern Company system, which
continues to coordinate and contribute to restoration and relief
efforts following Hurricane Helene. On Friday, multiple charitable
foundations across the system pledged $3
million to support the recovery effort. Read more here.
"As Georgia continues to rebuild in the weeks and months ahead,
we know that our customers will continue to need support. We are
actively working with community leaders across the state, and
identifying opportunities for us to provide assistance and
demonstrate our commitment to being a citizen wherever we serve,"
added Greene.
Updated damage estimates illustrating the extensive destruction
of Hurricane Helene include:
- 8,300+ power poles that must be repaired or
replaced
- 21,000+ spans of wire damaged equivalent to
approximately 1,000 miles
- 2,000+ transformers damaged
- 3,200+ trees on power lines that must be removed
or addressed to restore power
Restoration Status & Reconnection
Georgia Power appreciates the importance of accurate information
for customers as they make plans for their families following this
historic hurricane. As the company anticipated and announced before
the arrival of the storm, restoration efforts are taking multiple
days in many areas due to the extensive damage from Helene. Georgia
Power continues to post updated estimated restoration times (ERTs)
for communities on its Outage Map.
The company will continue to post updated information throughout
the remainder of the restoration process and will make every effort
to return power to customers sooner than expected. However, as new
damage in previously inaccessible areas becomes apparent,
restoration efforts may take longer than originally estimated.
Customers are encouraged to check the Outage Map often for the
latest information and not rely on possibly inaccurate details they
may see from non-company sources.
The company currently estimates that up to 8,000 customer homes
may not be able to be safely reconnected due electric service
entrance damage. The company cannot repair or restore power to
homes with damaged service entrances and encourages customers to
call 1-877-749-3931 to request a service entrance repair or contact
a certified electrician in their area. Read more here.
Preparation, Industry Support Key to Response
Georgia Power monitored the path of Hurricane Helene for more
than a week prior to Hurricane Helene entering Georgia. As part of its preparations, Georgia
Power mobilized additional staff from across the industry to
respond. Mobilized crews across the state pre-positioned
restoration workers, equipment, and supplies near areas of
anticipated impact including extra transformers, poles, cables,
wires and other equipment. Hurricane Helene had a statewide impact
and Georgia Power matched that with a statewide response, including
engagement of every Georgia Power crew at the beginning of the
storm and thousands of additional lineworkers from outside of
Georgia. All this is part of
advance planning and strategy to allow the company to restore power
more quickly and efficiently for its customers as soon as weather
conditions allow.
The company continues to utilize additional resources from
outside of its system including support from Alabama Power,
Mississippi Power and dozens of other companies. The response force
currently engaged is larger than the company's response to other
major hurricanes including Michael, Irma and Zeta.
Georgia Power is also a member of a nationwide mutual assistance
network, which consists of hundreds of utilities from around the
country. Georgia Power has proactively mobilized crews from
dozens of companies from states including California, Florida, Indiana, Nevada, New
Jersey, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas, as well as Canada. The company continues to acquire
additional outside resources to aid in response.
As always, the company encourages customers to keep safety
first following Hurricane Helene:
- 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.
- 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.
- Never attempt repairs to electric service
connections. Customers should also note that if their
home, including the meter box or mast/connection point, is severely
damaged repairs may need to be made by an electrician before
Georgia Power can reconnect power.
Tools You Can Use to Stay Connected & Informed
- Outage Alerts – Customers subscribed to our free
Georgia Power Outage Alert service will receive personalized
notifications and updates via text message. Check that your contact
number is up to date to receive the latest information.
- Outage & Storm Center – Available
at www.GeorgiaPower.com/Storm, customers can visit this site
to check their contact information is updated to receive Outage
Alerts, report and check the status of outages, and access useful
safety tips and information. Customers can also 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 X (Twitter) – Follow @GeorgiaPower
on X 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 2.7 million customers in all but four
of Georgia's 159 counties.
Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable
energy, 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), X (X.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram
(Instagram.com/ga_power).
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SOURCE Georgia Power