ATLANTA, Sept. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As the East Coast prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Florence in the coming days, Georgia Power is actively monitoring the storm and coordinating with emergency partners, including GEMA and the Mutual Assistance Network.

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. Turn off air conditioners as power surges can overload them 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 of power lines yourself or enter areas with debris or downed trees as downed power lines may be buried in wreckage.

Tools You Can Use to Prepare for Severe Weather Year-round

• 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.
• Emergency Plan and Kit – Visit the Georgia Power storm page for information on how to build a family emergency plan and emergency supply kit.

The Mutual Assistance Network
Georgia Power is part of a national mutual assistance network consisting of dozens of utilities from around the country. As part of this partnership, Georgia Power line crews provide assistance to other utilities when service to their customers is interrupted due to severe weather. Though no requests for Mutual Assistance have been made yet, Georgia Power will not release crews to other states to assist in Florence restoration until it is certain that Georgia will not be impacted. Georgia Power is also able to tap into reinforcements when needed to restore power quickly to Georgia customers. The company is holding all Georgia Power resources in Georgia in advance of Hurricane Florence and is in touch with other mutual assistance network utilities to ensure coordination and access to additional resources if needed following the storm.

Just last year, Hurricane Irma broke or damaged approximately 1,500 power poles, and more than 2,400 trees brought down nearly 230 miles of wire across the state. Georgia Power restored power to nearly one million customers impacted by Hurricane Irma quickly and safely by fully deploying company resources and leveraging the mutual assistance network in the week following the storm.

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, 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