Mississippi Power storm team travels east to join Hurricane Idalia restoration efforts

Gulfport, Miss. – Wednesday, Aug. 30: Mississippi Power’s storm team of more than 250 line crew, support personnel and contract resources arrived safely in Georgia ahead of Hurricane Idalia’s landfall. After the storm moved through southeast Georgia, crews were dispatched to Valdosta where they have joined the restoration efforts. At the time crews began work, there were more than 30,000 impacted customers in the area.

Tuesday, Aug. 29: A Mississippi Power storm team of more than 250 line crew, support personnel and contractor support departed Tuesday morning to assist Georgia Power ahead of Hurricane Idalia’s landfall.

Crews left from service centers around the company’s service territory. The storm team will be positioned to go to work immediately following the hurricane’s impact this week.

“We are fortunate that our customers will not experience any impacts from Idalia, and we’re ready to assist our neighbors,” said Distribution General Manager and Storm Director Melvin Roland. “Our team is focused on restoring power as safely and quickly as possible to those affected, while we continue to meet our customers’ needs back at home.”

Mississippi Power has traveled to states across the country including New York, Louisiana, Alabama, and Oklahoma to assist with storm restoration efforts in recent years.

“As we enter peak hurricane season of 2023, we’re reminded of what our customers have endured in the past, including Hurricane Katrina 18 years ago today,” said Mississippi Power Spokeswoman Kaila Moran Griffith. “Restoration trips keep our crews storm-tested and prepared to respond for our customers the next time a tropical system makes landfall in south Mississippi.”

As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, Idalia is forecast to strengthen to a major hurricane before it makes landfall in Florida on Wednesday morning. The storm is projected to move northeast into Georgia later that evening.

Mississippi Power will provide photos and updates from the field as crews work to restore power.

Now in its 98th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for more than 191,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power was honored with a Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing efforts to build a diverse workforce. The Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve recently recognized Mississippi Power for its commitment to its military workforce. Mississippi Power has nearly 160MW of solar capacity at four locations across the company’s service territory, including Southern Company’s first project to combine the latest, cutting-edge solar technology with battery storage. Visit our websites at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

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