ATLANTA, June 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power announced today that it has added a new, interactive Outage Map to its online Storm Center at www.georgiapower.com/storm. The resource will be especially useful for customers during severe weather events such as the recent storms which impacted service for thousands of Georgia Power customers across the state. Following the storms, Georgia Power crews worked around the clock to restore service to customers as safely and quickly as possible – activity which will be easy to track using the new Outage Map.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO )

Updated every 10 minutes, the new Outage Map allows customers to track crews as they work to restore power and includes detailed information on outages often caused by severe weather, traffic accidents and other external causes. Outages are indicated with triangular icons and visitors can zoom in on and slide the map to focus in greater detail on specific areas, as well as search by county and zip code. Visitors can also set personal preferences, such as their home location or travel destinations, see current weather impacting the state, and use the map to learn the cause of an outage, how many customers are affected, and an estimated time for power restoration.

"While Georgia Power is a leader in the industry in reliable, affordable energy service, outages do still occur and it's our goal to restore service to all customers as soon as we can," said Leslie Sibert, vice president of distribution for Georgia Power. "The new Outage Map makes information about outages readily available to our customers and empowers them to make informed, timely decisions for their business or family."

In addition to viewing the new Outage Map, visitors to Georgia Power's online Storm Center can instantly report an outage and find helpful tips and important information about severe weather, divided into categories including "Before," "During" and "After" a storm. The website is also optimized for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, which allows customers to easily access the information even during an outage.

Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation's largest generators of electricity. The company is an investor-owned, tax-paying utility with rates below the national average. Georgia Power serves 2.4 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties.

SOURCE Georgia Power