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