UPDATED, Sun., Oct. 14
Georgia Power still estimates it will have power restored to all whose dwellings can receive it in the Bainbridge area by 8 p.m. on Tuesday., Oct. 16.

As of Sunday morning, Georgia Power had restored power to 365,000 customers affected by Hurricane Michael. More than 5,700 personnel are working around the clock to restore power to 25,000 customers without power.

The company’s outage map indicated that 6,807 of its 9,087 customers in Decatur County are without service.

Of the remaining customers without power, who can receive electric service, Georgia Power has outlined the following restoration plan for the impacted areas below:

• Tifton area by 10 tonight, Sunday , Oct. 14
• Albany area by 8 p.m. on Mon., Oct. 15.
• Bainbridge area by 8 p.m. on Tues., Oct. 16.

 

Friday, Oct. 12:

Decatur County should begin seeing some power restored today, Georgia Power officials said this morning, and power should be restored throughout Bainbridge by Tuesday night.

Bainbridge Memorial Hospital and Manor and critical customers such as Decatur-Grady 911 are the priority for the region, according to Area Georgia Power Manager Fred Rudbeck. After that, grocery stores and convenience stores will be brought back.

“We are working as hard as we can,” Rudbeck said. “We’re trying to get people’s lives back to normal.”

A 500-man Georgia Power response team is staged at the Decatur County Industrial Park and is tackling the entire Southwest Georgia region. Additional resources were expected to roll in Friday.

As of Thursday evening, Georgia Power had restored power to 255,000 customers, with the more than 4,800 personnel and crews working around the clock.

The ERT for customers who are able to receive electric service in the following areas are expected to be restored by these projected times:

• Bainbridge area by Tuesday, Oct. 16, by 8 PM
• Albany area by Monday, Oct. 15, by 8 PM
• Americus area by Sunday, Oct. 14, by 10 PM
• Macon and Central Georgia area by Sunday, Oct. 14, by 10 PM
• Columbus and West Georgia area by Saturday, Oct. 13, by 5 PM
• Augusta area by Friday, Oct. 12, by midnight
• Savannah and Coastal area by Friday, Oct. 12, by midnight

 

While damage assessment began at daybreak, teams faced challenging conditions such as downed trees and impassible roads that require clearing to continue work. Georgia Power is working with Georgia Emergency Management Agency and local governments to open up access to allow its crews to begin restoration efforts in the hardest hit areas.

Restoration progress since the beginning of the storm has been largely possible thanks to Georgia’s advanced electric system, which allows the company to reroute and restore power even when weather conditions prevent work in the field, as well as early work of crews.

Georgia Power continuously monitored the path of Hurricane Michael prior to the storm entering Georgia. To complete restoration as quickly and safely as possible, the company has mobilized approximately 4,800 personnel from Georgia Power, other Southern Company operating companies and assisting utilities. All of Georgia Power’s resources are being held and dedicated to storm restoration efforts in the state following Hurricane Michael and the company continues to work to procure additional resources as they become available.

The company encourages customers to keep safety first following Hurricane Michael:

• Watch for downed wires. Downed power lines may be hidden by debris or fallen trees.
• Never touch any downed wire or attempt to remove tree branches from power lines – it can kill.
• Don’t step in standing water or saturated ground where downed lines may be present.They could be electrified.
• Avoid chain link fences. They may be electrified by a downed line out of sight and conduct electricity over great distances.
• Watch for Georgia Power crews working across the state. If driving, move over one lane for utility vehicles stopped on the side of the road – it’s the law in Georgia.

 

As of 8 p.m. Thursday,

• There were approximately 95,000 Georgia Power customers currently without power.
• More than 2,095 cases of individual damage or trouble (including broken poles and lines) the company is working to repair.
• Damage and outages are widespread across Central and South Georgiawith the hurricane impacting service to customers around Albany, Americus, Bainbridge, Macon, Valdosta, Vidalia and beyond.

 

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 Appleand Android devices to access storm and outage information on the go.
• @GeorgiaPower on Twitter –Follow @GeorgiaPower on Twitterfor storm tips, outage updates, customer service and more.