Gulfport, Miss. – Mississippi Power storm crews have safely restored power to approximately 11,000 customers impacted by the tornado that moved across the Pine Belt early Saturday morning. The company organized an expert storm team, working overnight with more than 600 additional linemen, engineers, tree crews and support personnel to respond quickly and repair electrical equipment damage.

Crews assisting Mississippi Power in the restoration effort came from sister company Gulf Power, and utility partners in Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama and north Mississippi.

“This was a tremendous effort from hundreds of Mississippi Power employees and hundreds more from our utility partners across the South,” Mississippi Power Vice President of Customer Services Organization Nicole Faulk said. “Most importantly, hundreds of power poles were replaced, miles of wire were restrung and tons of damaged equipment was removed accident-free. That’s a true testament to the expertise and commitment of the storm team.”

Immediately following the storm, Mississippi Power saw an outage peak of approximately 11,000 customers. The company saw nearly 30 of its transmission structures in the Pine Belt damaged in the storm. On the distribution side, approximately 200 utility poles and other electric equipment was repaired.

“While every customer who can receive electric service has power tonight, there is much work left to do and we are committed to this community,” Mississippi Power Pine Belt Division Manager Michael Harvey said. “Our work doesn’t stop with restoring power. We will continue to be an active part of the Pine Belt’s recovery.”

Company employees from the Pine Belt are making donations throughout the affected areas, including providing more than 250 blankets and pillows to a local organization helping those without homes.

If customers have suffered property damage, they may need to have a certified electrician repair electric service components before power can be restored by Mississippi Power. Learn more about the company’s restoration process here.

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for more than 186,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power earned the 2015 ReliabilityOne^TM Award for outstanding midsize utility for excellence in storm restoration and recovery efforts as well as being a leader in reliability, customer service and safety. Visit our websites at mississippipower.com and mississippipowernews.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.

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