PENSACOLA, Fla. - Sept. 21, 2007 - Gulf Power Company officials are monitoring a threatening low pressure system moving across the Gulf of Mexico in the event a tropical storm or hurricane forms.

Most forecasts have the system moving northwest from Tampa and coming ashore Saturday anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to western Louisiana. Predictions on the strength of the system vary from a tropical depression to a category 1 hurricane.

"We are closely monitoring the system and we encourage employees to do the same," said John Hutchinson, Gulf Power’s manager of Public Affairs. "We are ready to respond if necessary here in Northwest Florida, or to assist in Alabama, Mississippi or Louisiana."

Gulf Power is having preliminary conversations with officials at Alabama Power and Mississippi Power companies as the entire Gulf Coast monitors the storm.

"We are confident that our storm plan is ready to activate, that our employees are storm-tested and that we are prepared to quickly respond to this weather system as needed. All employees should watch this system carefully and be prepared to hear from their storm team leader."

If the system does becomes a hurricane it would be named Jerry.

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Media Contact: Cindy Duvall, Mississippi Power Corporate Communications, 228.865.5543 or 1.800.821.6383, cwduvall@southernco.com