Georgia Power customers can track and report power outages through multiple channels as Winter Storm Fern threatens to bring ice and subfreezing temperatures this weekend.
What’s Available: Georgia Power operates an interactive outage map at GeorgiaPower.com/Storm that shows near real-time information on outages across the state and estimated restoration times. Customers can report outages and check their status by calling 888-891-0938, visiting GeorgiaPower.com/Storm, or using the Georgia Power mobile app.
What’s Important: The company’s Outage Alert service sends personalized text notifications to customers who subscribe. Georgia Power says customers should make sure their contact information is current to receive outage alerts. The utility has mobilized more than 10,000 personnel — including Georgia Power employees, contractors, and partner utilities from Florida and other states — to respond to storm damage.
How This Affects Real People: Customers who lose power during subfreezing temperatures could face dangerous conditions. The National Weather Service forecasts ice accumulation of 0.25 to 1 inch across much of North Georgia, with the worst impacts expected Saturday afternoon through Monday morning. Small amounts of ice can snap tree branches and bring down power lines.
The Safety Rules: Never touch downed or low-hanging power lines. Call 911 or Georgia Power immediately if you see fallen wires. Never pull tree limbs off power lines or enter areas with heavy debris where downed lines may be hidden.
The Timeline: Georgia Power suspended disconnections for nonpayment through Jan. 29 starting Friday. The company says crews will work around the clock once conditions are safe, but hasn’t said how long widespread outages might last. Temperatures are expected to drop to the teens and 20s Monday morning and stay very cold through Tuesday, which could keep roads from drying and extend hazardous conditions.
ON SNOWPOCALYPSE:
“Like most metro Atlanta residents at the time, I dismissed the warnings and scoffed at the meteorologists who cried “snow” at the drop of a thermometer. After all, in Atlanta, snow forecasts are as reliable as Hollywood marriages. The reflexive grocery stampedes for bread, milk, and eggs seemed like a seasonal ritual more for omelet enthusiasts than survivalists.”
