Storm crews working to restore Pine Belt power after tornado

9:30 p.m. update

Mississippi Power crews continued working into the night on restoration efforts following extensive damage caused by a tornado in the Pine Belt early Saturday morning. Presently, approximately 3,600 customers are without service.

Since our last update, Mississippi Power’s damage assessment has been completed and work on repairing the company’s power delivery system is progressing. As of 8 p.m. Saturday night, nearly 50 utility poles have been replaced.

“To get the lights back on for our customers as safely and quickly as possible, we have requested additional assistance from crews in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Arkansas, which are now on the scene,” Pine Belt Division Manager Michael Harvey said. “We made significant progress today and tonight we are preparing for another successful day for our customers on Sunday.”

A storm team of more than 500 linemen, engineers, vegetation management and support personnel from Mississippi Power’s Coast, Pine Belt and Meridian divisions and contract crews are taking part in the restoration effort.

3:00 p.m. update

Mississippi Power crews continue to restore service Saturday afternoon to as many customers as can receive it following a tornado in the Hattiesburg and Petal areas early Saturday morning.

As of 3 p.m., a storm team of nearly 300 is working to restore power to approximately 4,000 customers in the Hattiesburg and Petal areas. The storm crew includes line crews, engineers, vegetation management and support personnel.

While damage assessments continue, approximately 200 utility poles need to be replaced along with repairs to other power delivery equipment.

“As we continue to assess the extent of the damage, we are looking to bring in additional support crews,” Pine Belt Division Manager Michael Harvey said. “Our number one priority right now is safely getting the lights back on for our customers.”

Corporate Communication’s next update on the restoration efforts will be Saturday evening.

11:30 a.m. Pine Belt restoration update

Mississippi Power transmission and distribution crews are assessing damage and working to restore electric service wherever they can access equipment following a tornado in the Hattiesburg and Petal areas Saturday morning. These efforts will continue throughout today to help safely restore power to as many customers as possible.

An initial assessment indicates more than 200 utility poles need to be replaced along with other power delivery equipment.

As of 10:30 a.m., approximately 7,000 Mississippi Power customers are without service. At the peak of the storm, approximately 11,000 customers were without power.

A storm team of approximately 250 made up of linemen, engineers, vegetation management and support personnel are working on restorative efforts. That number could grow as the company determines the extent of the damage.

“Experienced crews began working after the tornado passed to safely restore service to as many customers who could receive it,” said Mississippi Power Pine Belt Division Manager Michael Harvey. “We’re riding every line to assess the extent of the damage and working closely with the city and county to safely bring power back to our customers in the Pine Belt.”

You can monitor the status of outages with Mississippi Power’s online outage map and learn about Mississippi Power’s restoration process here.