GULFPORT, MS — Although Hurricane Ida was downgraded at 9 a.m. to a tropical storm, Mississippi Power crews remain in place and ready to respond as a result of the storm’s winds and rain.

The company’s Disaster Preparation Team continues to monitor the path and intensity of the storm to insure the company is prepared and ready to respond immediately.

Even in a less threatening storm, safety remains our first concern.  Here are some things to remember during any severe weather:
• Treat any downed wire as if it is energized. You can’t tell by looking if a downed wire is live or not. Telephone or cable television wires that are touching a power line could become energized and should also be avoided. Notify us, your local emergency agency, or call 911 to report the location of any downed lines.
• Don’t attempt to repair the electrical system or pull tree limbs off lines. Let our trained work crews perform this potentially dangerous work.
• Stay clear of areas where there is a lot of debris or downed trees that could conceal an energized power line. Also stay clear of chain link fences which may be energized if touching a downed line.
• Wait a reasonable time before calling customer service if your entire neighborhood is without power.
• If you have an electric generator, please ensure that you have isolated your home or business from the utility electrical service lines by opening main breakers or other devices. Do not connect portable generators to your household electrical wiring. This can cause serious injury to you and to our employees working on the lines in your neighborhood. Connect only essential appliances, such as freezers and refrigerators, directly to the generator. See Generator Safety video.
• If your power is off, turn off large appliances and air conditioners and wait 10 to 15 minutes after power has been restored before turning them back on.
• If there is damage to your meter box or the pole on top of your meter box, you must first have an electrician make repairs before we can restore your service.
• If there is flooding in your home or business, we may be unable to restore electric service until the building is inspected by city or county code officials.
• Stay away from areas where our crews are working. If driving, follow road signs, drive cautiously and follow directions in the area of a work crew.
• Please be patient. Our crews will work as fast as safety allows. Before residential lines can be worked on, our crews must first repair larger lines that bring power to neighborhoods.

To report a power outage, call 1-800-487-3275 (1-800-ITS-DARK), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.                                                                  

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