Georgia Power: “We are prepared” for Hurricane Irma

As Hurricane Irma roars toward Florida and the east coast, Georgia Power said that it is prepared and ready to respond to outages and infrastructure damage in order to keep power flowing.

“We have our plans laid out year-round, so we are prepared. When we get a particular storm like this, we have to fine-tune those plans and start implementing them in terms of lining up those resources,” said Georgia Power spokesperson John Kraft.

The company said it was monitoring the changing weather “around the clock” and has begun mobilizing crews to respond to the storm’s impact.

“We have our folks, and then we are in touch with all the other Southern Co. operating units as well as organizations like the Southeastern Electric Exchange and the Mutual Assistance Network,” Kraft said.

The Mutual Assistance Network is a collection of utilities from across the country who provide assistance to each other during severe weather. Georgia Power said the network is grounding all crews in the state and the company is in touch with members of the network to receive additional help if needed.

“Florida utilities are putting requests out for help, for example, and normally if it wasn’t affecting us but we would certainly be the ones helping. If we get everything recovered and they’re still in need of help, then we would assess sending crews down there,” Kraft said.

Heavy winds, flooding and rain possible in a hurricane or tropical storm means that Georgia Power is expecting at least some unavoidable power outages across the state.

“It all depends on the track of the storm. If we get tropical-storm-force winds, we’d expect to see outages as tree limbs and branches come down on wires,” said Kraft. “Then the question is getting those resource to the places that need it. We’re prepared to respond as quickly and safely as possible.”

Georgia Power offered the following tips and resources for customers to make use of before, during and after the storm.

• Develop a plan for your family. The plan should include the destination of travel, alternate routes, gas stations and a re-unification plan if family members become separated as well as a list of critical information such as utility accounts and insurance documents.
• Prepare and carry an emergency supply kit with critical supplies. Supplies may include a car charger for cell phones or other electronics, a flashlight, battery operated radio and non-electric clock – for a complete list of additional items, visit the Georgia Power hurricane resource page.
• Unplug electronics in your home and place them on sturdy surfaces or relocate them to the highest floor.
• Turn your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest settings and pack your freezer with as many food items as possible. If electrical service is interrupted, a packed freezer can keep food frozen for up to 48 hours.
• When traveling before or after a storm, be aware of electrical crews working or the potential for down power lines or power poles.

Tools You Can Use

• Outage Alerts – Subscribe to the free Georgia Power Outage Alert service to receive personalized notifications and updates via text message.
• Outage & Storm Center – Available at www.georgiapower.com/storm, customers can visit this site to sign up for Outage Alerts, report and check the status of outages, and access useful safety tips and information. Customers can report and check the status of an outage 24 hours a day by contacting Georgia Power at 888-891-0938.
• Outage Map – Housed within the Outage & Storm Center, Georgia Power's interactive Outage Map provides near real-time information, allowing users to see where outages are occurring across the state and track estimated restoration times.
• Georgia Power Mobile App – Download the Georgia Power mobile app for Apple and Android devices to access storm and outage information on the go.
• @GeorgiaPower on Twitter – Follow @GeorgiaPower on Twitter for storm tips, outage updates, customer service and more.

This story was originally published September 8, 2017 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Georgia Power: “We are prepared” for Hurricane Irma."