With Hurricane Irma expected to bring heavy rains and high winds to Bainbridge in the coming days, Georgia Power is monitoring the changing weather around the clock, mobilizing crews and preparing to respond to any service interruptions that may occur.

Georgia Power Regional director Joe Truitt and his team are preparing in various ways. They are stocking up on all supplies, making sure all of their trucks are filled with fuel and prioritizing the circuits; they are especially focusing on the hospital circuit and ones of emergency need.

Georgia Power is a part of a national mutual assistance network consisting of dozens of utilities from around the country. As part of this partnership, Georgia Power line crews provide assistance to other utilities when service to their customers is interrupted due to severe weather. Truitt is already anticipating having to head to the East Coast of Georgia after the storm to areas like, Brunswick and Savannah. They have travelled as far as New York to assist with restoration from Super storm Sandy, and are prepared to go anywhere, though.

They are reminding all customers of the following tips:

• Before a Storm:  Stay aware and check the weather forecast before heading outdoors. Turn off air conditioners as power surges can overload them and charge cell phones in case you lose power.

• During a Storm: Take safe shelter inside a sturdy building away from windows and doors. Avoid contact with conductors of electricity – appliances, metal objects and water.

• 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 of power lines yourself or enter areas with debris or downed trees as downed power lines may be buried in wreckage.

Truitt also wants to remind everyone to not plug their generator into the house. The generator could backfeed into the power line and become very dangerous for line workers when they attempt to restore power.

For constant up-to-date information, customers can visit or call the following places.

• 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.

• Emergency Plan and Kit – Visit the Georgia Power hurricane resource page for information on how to build a family emergency plan and emergency supply kit.