As more than 2 million people were already without power Sunday in Florida, officials in Georgia said they were in place for Hurricane Irma’s expected arrival on Monday.
Georgia Power has been monitoring the changing forecast all week and has plans for all potential scenarios, the company said on its website.
Mobilized restoration teams are prepared to respond to the storm as quickly and safely as possible, the statement said. Additional resources remain available as part of the Southern Company system, which includes multiple electric and gas companies serving more than 9 million customers.
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Electric Membership Cooperatives officials anticipate property damage and power outages as a result of Irma and have been in close contact with local emergency management and public safety officials, spokeswoman Beth McMillan said.
Police, fire and public works officials discussed their respective storm plans and addressed problems associated with high winds, heavy rain and potential flooding caused by hurricane-force weather.
McMillam said EMCs emergency planning began long before Irma.
"Many co-ops hold exercises and drills throughout the year to practice their disaster response plans to prepare employees and contractors for a variety of emergencies including severe weather events," she said.
Georgia Power will provide updates during Hurricane Irma at www.georgiapower.com/storm, where customers may sign up for outage alerts, report and check the status of outages, and access useful safety tips and information. Customers can also report and check the status of an outage 24 hours a day by contacting Georgia Power at 888-891-0938.
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