ATLANTA, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Outages for Georgia Power customers had
topped 100,000 shortly after 8 a.m. today as ice formed on trees and power
lines in northeast Georgia.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO)
The affected area stretches from the north metro-Atlanta counties toward
Rabun County in extreme northeast Georgia, to Elbert County on the east
Georgia border, and well into the Carolinas.
Georgia Power's Storm Center reports approximately 60,000 customers are
without power in the metro area. Another 45,000 outages are reported in
northeast Georgia.
Additional line crews from around the state are being assigned to outage
restoration
In the event of a major power outage, Georgia Power's first priority is to
restore electricity to emergency public service agencies, such as police and
fire departments, and hospitals. The next priority is to restore power safely
to as many customers as possible with each repair.
Here are some safety tips for customers to follow when severe weather
hits:
- Residents who have a life-threatening medical emergency should call 911.
- Always avoid downed power lines. Any downed line should be considered
energized and therefore dangerous. Report downed lines immediately to
local public safety authorities and stay out of the immediate area.
- Avoid debris laying on the ground that may conceal downed power lines
and make sure there are no downed lines before allowing children out to
play.
- Steer clear of Georgia Power crew work areas. Equipment and energized
lines may be in the area that could create a safety hazard.
- When driving, watch for crews working along the roadways, and obey all
traffic signs and directions around work areas.
- When leaving your home and power is off, turn off the main breaker as a
precaution to avoid a power surge once the power is restored.
- Do not attempt to make repairs to Georgia Power's electrical system or
pull limbs off lines.
- Be patient. When a major outage occurs, Georgia Power crews must first
restore power to transmission lines and distribution circuits before
working on distribution lines that feed directly to homes and
businesses. However, be assured that Georgia Power crews are working as
quickly and safely as possible to restore power to customers.
- Customers are reminded to be careful when using portable heaters or
other supplemental heating. Never place heaters near flammable
materials or where they might tip over. Use fire screens to prevent
sparks and embers from causing problems.
- Customers should exercise extreme caution if using candles during a
power outage. Always keep candles away from flammable objects and never
leave them burning unattended.
If the weather interrupts electrical service, customers are urged to call
the Customer Care Center at 1-888-891-0938. This line is answered by an
automated system designed to handle power outage calls; however, customers may
also talk directly with a customer service representative. The most efficient
way for customers to report outages is to leave all information on this
system.
In response to customer requests Georgia Power now provides an online
power outage reporting system. Customers may report outages at
http://www.georgiapower.com.
**Note to media: This service is convenient for customers to report
outages using battery-powered laptops or computers at work.
Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the
nation's largest generators of electricity. The company is an investor-owned,
tax-paying utility, serving customers in 57,000 of the state's 59,000 square
miles. Georgia Power's rates are below the national average and its 2 million
customers are in all but six of Georgia's 159 counties.
SOURCE Georgia Power
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Related links:
http://www.georgiapower.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Media Relations, +1-404-506-7676, or
+1-800-282-1696, or corpcomm@georgiapower.com
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