As Hurricane Michael clears Georgia, Georgia Power begins its first day of full-scale damage assessment Thursday. There has been significant damage due to high winds, heavy rain and fallen trees in the hardest hit areas, including: Albany, Americus, Bainbridge, Macon, Valdosta, Vidalia and other areas leaving nearly 175,000 customers without power. Damage assessment marks the first phase of the restoration process and Georgia Power has crews in the field assessing damage to begin the restoration process, followed by repair crews.

Georgia Power reminds customers that dangerous conditions exist following a storm.

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.

For more on the damage assessment and restoration process, visit Georgia Power’s YouTube channel.

Georgia Power monitored the path of Hurricane Michael prior to the storm entering Georgia. To complete restoration as quickly and safely as possible, the company mobilized 3,900 personnel from Georgia Power, other Southern Company operating companies and assisting utilities.

Tools You Can Use

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