HATTIESBURG – The Mississippi Power Foundation and Southern Company Charitable Foundation today announced $100,000 in donations to Forrest and Lamar Counties to provide disaster recovery assistance to residents affected by the Feb. 10 tornado.

“While Mississippi Power’s first priority after a storm is to restore electricity, we realize that is just the beginning of the recovery for our customers,” said Ed Day, president and CEO of Mississippi Power. “The lights may be back on, but we realize our community is still rebuilding and we hope this will help those most in need.” 

The funds will be donated to the Greater Pine Belt Community Foundation to be used as follows:
• $25,000 for R3SM (Recover, Rebuild, Restore Southeast Mississippi) to assist with disaster recovery case management
• $50,000 for United Way's long-term recovery efforts with low-income households
• $25,000 to support requests for assistance through the Greater Pine Belt Community Foundation disaster recovery fund.

“These organizations have the necessary track record and resources to effectively support long term recovery efforts,” Day said.
The monetary donation comes after more than 100 Mississippi Power employees volunteered to help customers across Hattiesburg and Petal recover from the tornado.
“This is where we live and work – it’s our community as well,” Pine Belt Division Manager Jason Lee said. “We want to see the community rebuild and lives return to normal as soon as possible.” 

Following the tornado, Mississippi Power responded with 300 line personnel to restore 13,000 customers without service. Electricity was safely restored to all customers that could take service within 30 hours of the storms impact.

Mississippi Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, serves approximately 186,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power recently was awarded the Edison Electric Institute’s Emergency Assistance Award for restoration efforts after Hurricane Sandy.

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