Target is 95 percent of customers back on by end of Wednesday

Charles McCrary, Alabama Power president and CEO, pledged to have power restored by the end of the day Wednesday to 95 percent of customers who can receive electric service.

"We’ve had destruction of historic proportions," McCrary said today in describing the damage to the company’s infrastructure. In addition to snapping 3,000 poles, the storms and tornadoes that moved through the state April 27 damaged more than 100 electric transmission structures and destroyed five substations.

"The devastation that has occurred to our system is much greater than Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Opal," said Danny Glover, Alabama Power vice president of Distribution.

"This is more than a restoration project. It’s a reconstruction project."

Despite the challenges, McCrary said Alabama Power employees are committed to working "24 hours a day, seven days a week" until power is restored.

At midday today, Alabama Power crews, with support from crews brought in from out of state, had restored power to more than 200,000 customers. At the peak of the storm, 412,229 customers were without power.

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO), serves more than 1.4 million customers across the state. To learn how Alabama Power responds to storms, go to www.alabamapower.com. Click "About Us" and then "Storm Center."

NOTE TO TV EDITORS AND PRODUCERS:

Video footage of Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary surveying storm damage is available on DG Fastchannel. Look for story # "APCO Storm Coverage 1" or slug "Alabama Power Storm Alabama Footage."