We are here for Georgia. We are here for you. An open letter to our communities following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / October 30, 2024 / Southern company:

By Kim Greene, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Georgia Power

Southern Company

I can't remember a time in my career, or perhaps in my life, when I saw something like Hurricane Helene. It's impossible to believe unless you've seen it up close, and even then it's hard to describe – pictures just don't do it justice. In the days following the storm, I visited some of the hardest-hit areas in Georgia, and what I saw broke my heart.

The destruction never ended in places, it only lasted for miles. And it's even more sobering when I reflect on the fact that some of our teammates – many of whom worked to restore power themselves – faced devastating damage to their own homes by making their way through fallen trees (and some even had to walk for miles to get there, have to work and wait for their families to get power again.

As I saw the devastation in Augusta, Savannah, Valdosta and Vidalia – and many other areas in between – I quickly realized that this was no ordinary storm. In fact, Helene was the most destructive hurricane in our company's 140-year history, exceeding the damage caused by Hurricanes Michael, Matthew and Irma combined.

Fortunately, we have a world-class team that ensured Georgia Power was ready to respond. We have monitored Helene's progress from the moment of its inception and drawn up plans for what we expected to be an extensive restoration process. We pre-positioned more than 10,000 employees across the state, ready to begin work as soon as the storm passed and it was safe to do so. As damage assessment reports came in from across the state, we ultimately doubled the number of deployed personnel to over 20,000, with crews coming from across the country.

Typically, after a severe storm, we talk about our work toward recovery. For Helene, it's about completely rebuilding parts of the power grid. Helene damaged more than 8,300 utility poles and nearly 350 transmission structures, destroyed more than 1,600 miles of power lines, damaged more than 4,500 transformers, and downed thousands of trees that had to be removed before power could be restored. This was a major restoration and reconnection project that needed to be completed as quickly as possible. Fortunately, our team is the best in the industry and we were able to safely and efficiently restore power to more than 1.5 million customers. However, we know that full reconstruction will be a much longer process.

This was a historic storm that required an unprecedented response and coordination from so many other teams across Georgia. State leaders, including Governor Brian Kemp, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and other state agencies, members of the Georgia Public Service Commission, as well as members of the Georgia Legislature and its leadership, alongside local county commissioners, mayors, first responders and law enforcement, and countless others were all on site with us and continue to be great partners in rebuilding our infrastructure.

As so many of our customers and neighbors attempt to return to some semblance of “normal,” Georgia Power will be here to help. From working directly with customers to resolve disconnections and waive late payment penalties, to quickly providing funding directly to local organizations serving our state's hardest-hit communities, we are committed to “Being a Citizen, Wherever we are active”.

While I was in disbelief at the devastation I saw, I am inspired by the kindness, resilience and fighting spirit shown by our employees and neighbors. From handwritten cards and signs with encouraging words for road workers posted in areas around our job sites, to communities coming together to share vital resources like food and water, to local leaders giving their best, To coordinate help, Helene brought out the worst in us and the best in us.

We thank our Georgia Power customers, communities, employees and partners for your kindness, compassion and patience. More than ever, I am proud to be a Georgian, proud to be part of this team and grateful to be part of this community.

Our road to recovery may be long, but we are here for Georgia and we are here for you!

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Contact information:

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SOURCE: Southern Company

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