232 Flint Energies employees are on standby waiting for Hurricane Michael and the possible damage coming with it.
Flint Energies and Georgia Power are urging customers to update their emergency plans, stock up on non-perishable foods, and get lots of water.
"Based on its current track, it looks like we are in store for a major storm restoration effort here and there's going to be power outages for several days," says Flint Energies Vice President of Cooperative Communications, Marian McLemore.
Power companies prioritize by sending crews first to hospitals, sewer plants, and government buildings. Then, they work to fix the power sources that serve the most people, and work their way down to smaller power systems.
McLemore says, "We want to get as many people back on as quickly and as safely as possible, and then move on to the next largest piece of equipment and on down the line."
Flint Energies says to immediately contact them if your power goes out. You have three options: you can call the outage hotline number at (888)-354-6836, or text 'OUTAGE' to 352667, or visit the mobile app and click on Report the Outage using your smartphone.
They say before the storm hits, you should also make sure your account information is correct with your power company, if it's not, update it immediately. Flint Energies recommends you program outage numbers in your phone, and don't forget to fully charge it.
Georiga Power Storm 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.
Tools You Can Use to Prepare for Severe Weather Year-round
- 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 storm page for information on how to build a family emergency plan and emergency supply kit.