Georgia Power prepared for Possible Busy Hurricane Season

Georgia Power remains committed to providing its 2.6 million customers safe and reliable service while offering important safety tips and storm resources as the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season arrives amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The official start of hurricane season is June 1, and while the National Weather Service predicts an above-average storm season, it only takes one major storm to disrupt daily activities and cause extensive damage to communities.  Georgia Power reminds customers to keep safety first during hurricane season and offers the following storm tips.  Before a storm, know your risks of storm surge and tropical storm or hurricane-strength winds. Check your emergency kit, unplug major appliances, and charge cell phones in case you lose power.  During a storm, have several ways to receive emergency notifications and weather updates. If your area is under an evacuation order, follow safety orders from local officials immediately.  After a storm, never touch any downed or low-hanging wire, including telephone or TV wires that touch a power line. Never pull tree limbs off power lines or enter areas with debris or downed trees as downed power lines may be buried in wreckage. Additionally, do not walk or drive through standing water as it may conceal live wires brought down by the storm.  Before severe weather strikes, customers are encouraged to become familiar with Georgia Power’s Outage Map on www.georgiapower.com that makes tracking and reporting outage information on the go even easier. The Outage Map automatically adjusts to function on any desktop, handheld or mobile device and has direct access to Georgia Power’s social media channels for quick engagement with customer service representatives. Additionally, users have greater search capabilities with concise alert information relating to their specific outage.  Georgia Power constantly monitors changing weather conditions and is prepared to respond to service interruptions that might occur because of severe weather while taking proactive actions including special “distancing” and other precautions to help protect customers and employees from the spread of the virus.  The company’s investments in Smart Grid technology and increased automation in recent years mean an increased ability to more quickly isolate outages to smaller numbers of customers and reroute power remotely for improved reliability. In addition, the company’s comprehensive pandemic plans help ensure readiness of the critical personnel and facilities necessary to continue providing the safe and reliable energy customers expect and deserve.  Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America’s premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service, and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company’s promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia’s 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric, and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com.