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Severe Weather Awareness Week/Georgia Power

Georgia Power

During Severe Weather Awareness Week, which takes place February 3-7 in Georgia, Georgia Power, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service have partnered to educate people on safety tips and strategies during severe weather.

Before a storm, people should check the weather before heading outdoors. They should also have a family plan, unplug major appliances and charge their cell phones in case a power shortage occurs. During a storm, people should seek shelter indoors away from windows or doors. They should also avoid contact with appliances, metal objects and water, which are all conductors of electricity. After a storm, customers should avoid touching downed or low-hanging wire, “including telephone or TV wires that touch a power line.” Since downed power lines may be buried in the wreckage of debris and downed trees, people should also avoid pulling tree limbs off power lines and entering areas with debris or downed trees. If people see a fallen or low-hanging power line, people should call 911 or Georgia Power immediately.

In addition, people can prepare for severe weather by building an emergency kit, which should include enough supplies to feed individuals and their families for “three days without electricity or running water.” During an outage, they should avoid using generators in an enclosed space, since that produces dangerous and undetectable carbon monoxide. They should also know how to safely store food and medicine during an outage.

People can check on the status of outages and find more safety tips by checking the Georgia Power website, subscribing to Georgia Power outage alerts, downloading the app for Apple and Android or following @GeorgiaPower onTwitter.

Tips to Help You Prepare for Severe Weather Year-round

  • Build an Emergency KitA well-built kit should contain enough supplies to get you and your family through three days without electricity or running water.
  • Power Restoration Process Georgia Power crews focus on repairs that return power to the greatest number of customers in the least amount of time.
  • Assessing Conditions – Before restoration crews can get to work, damage assessment teams identify trouble spots and the resources needed to fix it.
  • Downed Tree Safety – Downed trees are usually the cause of an outage after a storm. Never attempt to pull tree limbs off wires yourself.
  • Generator SafetyNever use generators in an enclosed space. They produce dangerous carbon monoxide that can’t be seen or smelled.
  • Storing Food and Medicine in an OutageDuring an outage, it's important to know how to safely store your food and medicine.

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