Gulf Power Company has restored power to more than 47,000 customers as of 1 p.m. this afternoon.

Less than 11,400 customers are still without power, primarily in Escambia County. The utility is continuing to assess the situation before an estimated restore time can be determined for all customers. 

“Even though the storm has passed, our crews are having to navigate around several flooded areas and travel to outages that are scattered across our entire service territory,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power Communications manager. “Fortunately, as part of Southern Company, we benefit from the help of our sister companies.”

Nearly 300 linemen from other utilities are traveling to Northwest Florida or have already arrived to help Gulf Power with restoration efforts. This includes crews from Mississippi Power, Alabama Power, Georgia Power, and Oncor, a utility located in Texas that Gulf Power assisted in December for an ice storm.

Gulf Power reminds its customers of the following: 

• NEVER try to power the house wiring by plugging the generator into a wall outlet, a practice known as "backfeeding." This is an extremely dangerous practice that presents an electrocution risk to utility workers and neighbors served by the same utility transformer. It also bypasses some of the built-in household circuit protection devices.
• If your home is flooded above or at the level of electrical outlets, Gulf Power will not be able to restore power to your home until it has has been inspected by the city or county.
• Gulf Power’s Online Outage map, outagemap.gulfpower.com, lets you track power restoration efforts. You can access this map through the company’s website or its new Outage App on your smartphone. Search for “Gulf Power” in iTunes or on the Google Play store to download the free app. You can also keep updated through Gulf Power’s Facebook page.

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 436,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at GulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.”

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