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Staff Reports

ATLANTA – August 30, 2023 – Hurricane Idalia entered Valdosta, designated as “Tree City, USA” by Georgia’s Forestry Commission, this morning and is making its way up the state wreaking havoc in its path. Heavy rain caused flash flooding and hurricane-force winds toppled trees damaging power poles and downing electric lines. Since the storm began impacting the state, Georgia Power has restored service to more than 40,000 customers. Currently as of 4:30 PM, 132,396 customers are without power.

A small army of thousands of Georgia Power restoration crews, along with partner crews from Alabama Power and Mississippi Power, are in place in anticipation of Hurricane Idalia. The teams are working to assess the damage and start restoration work as soon as winds are under 35 MPH. Crews will continue working around-the-clock to restore power to customers who are impacted by this powerful force of nature. As weather conditions improve, restoration efforts will accelerate, but it could take an extended period of time for all customers to be restored.

The company asks customers to continue heeding warnings from their safety officials and reminds customers to keep safety a top priority following the hurricane. It offers the following tips to stay safe, connected and informed.

Electrical Safety Tips During Storms

• Never touch any downed power lines or low hanging wires.
• Never pull tree limbs off power, telephone or cable lines or attempt to repair electrical equipment damaged in a storm.
• Never go near chain link fences – downed power lines or lightning strikes may energize the entire length of the fence.
• Avoid walking through flooded areas or puddles as they may be energized by downed power lines.
• Never walk into areas where crews are at work. If driving near work crews, obey road signs and proceed cautiously.

Georgia Power is committed to providing customers with the latest information and offers the following resources:

Tools to Stay Informed

• Outage Alerts – Ensure your contact information is up to date to receive Georgia Power Outage Alerts, a free, personalized notification service that provides outage and restoration updates via text message.
• Outage & Storm Center – Available at 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.
• @GeorgiaPower on Twitter – Follow @GeorgiaPower on Twitter for storm tips, outage updates, customer service and more.

For additional tips on preparing for severe weather, visit GeorgiaPower.com/Storm. The site features information on preparing for severe weather and topics including Watches vs. Warnings, staying connected, electrical safety and more.

Georgia Power Plants

Georgia Power’s electric generating plants remain operational to serve customers, even during severe weather. Power plants, including hydro, solar, natural gas, coal and nuclear plants, are built to be robust and highly secure and incorporate multiple layers of protection including structural strength, highly trained operators and security forces, and proven emergency plans. Safety systems at U.S. nuclear plants, including Georgia’s nuclear plants Vogtle and Hatch, are designed to withstand significant hazard events, including hurricane force winds and flooding.