Georgia Power crews restore power for 200,000+ after severe thunderstorms Sunday night

ATLANTA – A band of strong thunderstorms swept through Georgia late Sunday toppling trees, damaging power poles and downing electric lines throughout the north and central regions of the state. Georgia Power crews responded to these storms, working overnight safely and as quickly as possible and restoring power to more than 200,000 customers as of Monday morning.

Crews will continue working throughout the day to restore power to customers who are still experiencing outages caused by the severe thunderstorms that brought high winds, heavy rain and lightning. There are more than 1,400 individual cases of damage that must be addressed to restore service.

The company reminds customers to keep safety a top priority especially after severe weather and offers the following tips to stay safe, connected and informed.

Electrical Safety Tips

· Never touch any downed wire or low hanging wires.
· Never pull tree limbs off power, telephone or cable lines or attempt to repair electrical equipment damaged in a storm.
· Never go near chain link fences – downed power lines or lightning strikes may energize the entire length of the fence.
· Avoid walking through flooded areas or standing water as they may be energized by downed power lines.
· If driving near work crews, obey the “move-over law”, which requires drivers to move over a lane when possible if a utility vehicle with displayed warning lights is parked on the side of the road.
Georgia Power customers can stay up to date with latest information using multiple resources.

Tools to Stay Informed

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.
@GeorgiaPower on Twitter – Follow @GeorgiaPower on Twitter for storm tips, outage updates, customer service and more.

For more tips on preparing for severe weather, visit GeorgiaPower.com/Storm. The site features information on preparing for severe weather and topics including Watches vs. Warnings, staying connected, electrical safety and more.

Photos provided via Georgia Power.