Mississippi Power completes Winter Storm Uri restoration work; preparations underway for Viola

Gulfport, Miss. – Mississippi Power has restored service to more than 95 percent of its customers who can receive power following Winter Storm Uri after the storm brought snow, ice and record cold temperatures across the company’s service territory. 

“We appreciate our customers’ patience and perseverance as we worked to safely restore service as quickly as possible,” said Mississippi Power Vice President of Customer Service and Operations Fran Forehand. “This was a total team effort by our crews working in these harsh conditions, our support personnel and our teammates at our generating plants who worked safely and diligently to meet the increased demand for power during this event.”

 

Mississippi Power assembled a winter storm team of approximately 1,000 personnel, including resources from sister utilities Georgia Power and Alabama Power. Most of the damage they faced were from ice-coated limbs and trees that fell into power lines and travel was difficult with icy roads.

More than 34,000 customers were impacted by Winter Storm Uri as it moved through the area on Monday and more than 90 percent of those customers had service restored by the end of that workday. The remaining customers, mostly in the hard-hit Meridian area, were completed by the end of the day on Tuesday as temperatures remained below freezing.

More winter weather is in the forecast Wednesday and Thursday, so customers are urged to be alert for changing conditions. The company is prepared to secure additional resources and respond to any service disruptions from this next winter weather system.

“We have a storm-tested plan in place, and we will continue to safely work that plan until every light is on,” said Mississippi Power President and CEO Anthony Wilson. “Our linemen deeply appreciate the many messages and displays of support from our customers.”

Now in its 95^th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for more than 188,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state of Mississippi. Visit our website at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

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