Mississippi Power restoration update – Day 14

GULFPORT, MS -- Mississippi Power completed its initial restoration efforts Saturday evening, restoring service to all customers who could receive it 12 days after the company’s electric system was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Nearly 169,000 of the company’s 195,000 customers have been restored.

“We still have crews out working and it will be months before everything is back to normal,” said Kurt Brautigam, company spokesman. “There are still numerous areas left to rebuild and many more customers to restore whenever they’re ready. If there are any customers out there who can receive power and don’t have it, we ask that they call us.”

Customers can call Mississippi Power’s outage reporting number at 1-800-ITS-DARK (800-487-3275) or the customer service number at 1-800-532-1502.

Important information during the next several weeks:

  • Trash contractors or garbage removal crews should not pile debris higher than 12 feet (from the ground) in their trucks. Transporting tall piles of trash runs a significant risk of snagging or coming in contact with power lines, causing significant damage, possible injury and delaying restoration efforts.

  • Do not pick up or dispose of transformers, capacitors or other similar electrical equipment. These normally contain oil or environmentally-regulated substances.

  • Do not stack debris piles near utility poles, underground transformers and other facilities. The piles cause access problems for crews working on lines and may cause damage to poles and transformers during clean up, delaying restoration of the electric distribution system.

  • Do not pick up or dispose of downed power lines, cables, or telephone lines unless they are clearly removed from nearby poles. Lines may still be attached to poles and removal can cause further damage to Mississippi Power’s distribution system.



    The following Mississippi Power customer service offices are now open: Columbia, Ellisville, Hattiesburg, Leakesville, Lucedale, Lumberton, Picayune, Poplarville, Purvis, Sumrall, Waynesboro, Bay St. Louis, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Bay Springs, Forest, Heidelberg, Laurel. Meridian, Newton, Quitman, Stonewall, Taylorsville, Union.

    The following offices will not open until further notice: Biloxi, Gulfport, Moss Point, Pass Christian, Richton, Wiggins.

    Customers can mail bills to the P O Box address on their bill (P O Box 245, Birmingham, AL 35201).

    Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, serves 195,000 customers in 23 Southeast Mississippi counties. For more information and daily updates on the company’s progress toward restoring service, go to www.mississippipower.com.

    With more than 4 million customers and nearly 39,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier super-regional energy company in the Southeast and a leading U.S. producer of electricity. Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states, a growing competitive generation company and a competitive retail natural gas business, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Visit the Southern Company Web site at www.southerncompany.com.