ATLANTA, June 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season is here and Georgia Power is encouraging customers to be prepared when severe weather strikes. While the National Weather Service predicts another busy storm season, it only takes one major storm to disrupt daily activities and cause extensive damage to communities.    

Georgia Power reminds customers to keep safety first during severe weather and offers the following storm tips:   

• Before a Storm:  Stay aware and check the weather forecast before heading outdoors. Check your emergency kit, unplug major appliances and charge cell phones in case you lose power.
• During a Storm: Take safe shelter inside a sturdy building away from windows and doors. Avoid contact with conductors of electricity - appliances, metal objects and water.
• After a Storm: Never touch any downed or low-hanging wire, including telephone or TV wires that touch a power line. Never pull tree limbs off power lines or enter areas with debris or downed trees as downed power lines may be buried in wreckage. 

Georgia Power 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: At www.georgiapower.com/storm, customers can sign up for 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. The company will post regular updates with localized estimated restoration times on the Outage Map.
• 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.

To mark hurricane season, Georgia Power is hosting a statewide Media Summit at its Atlanta headquarters at 241 Ralph McGill Boulevard on June 6. Members of the media will get an in-depth look at Georgia Power's storm response plan, interview the new Storm Center Operations Manager David Maske and tour the Mobile Command Center (MCC), Social Media Center and Storm Center. A logistics base camp will also be activated along with the MCC and will include a shower trailer, mobile kitchen, two 30-person sleeping trailers and a deployment tent to show what life is like for linemen responding to a major storm event. Credentialed members of the media can register here.

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 2.5 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, 21st century 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 consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

SOURCE Georgia Power