Retiree Credits Georgia Power Outage Alert for Saving His Life

The first words out of Philip’s mouth surprised Georgia Power employee Candace.  

“Georgia Power saved my life.”  

In the days following Hurricane Helene, Candace was one of several Georgia Power employees who performed welfare checks on Georgia Power retirees throughout the Augusta, Georgia, area who belonged to the Citizens of Georgia Power Ambassadors group.  

Ivy, on Georgia Power’s HR team, met Philip at his home in Martinez, Georgia, a community of 34,000 residents just outside of Augusta, in the days following the most destructive storm in Georgia Power history. 

Philip, who worked for Georgia Power for 36 years before his retirement, told Candace when Hurricane Helene hit the Augusta area on the evening of Sept. 26, the Georgia Power Outage Alert on his phone woke him in the middle of the night. Philip, who previously subscribed to outage notifications, said he rose from bed due to the alert moments before a tree crashed through his roof and into his bedroom. Philip told had he still been asleep, the impact of the tree could have been fatal. 

“[Philip] invited us into the house to see the damage and it was unbelievable,” Candace said. “You could see that the tree had broken the rafters across the house. He was incredibly grateful that the app allowed him to get out of harm’s way. He told us that we would’ve had to pick him out of the wreckage if our app hadn’t saved his life.” 

While the purpose of the Georgia Power app and Outage Alerts feature is not to alert users of dangerous weather, we are grateful the alert provided impactful information that kept Philip safe during Hurricane Helene. 

To subscribe for Georgia Power Outage Alerts, follow the steps below. 

How to Subscribe to Georgia Power Outage Alerts

To subscribe to free Georgia Power Outage Alerts through your browser, follow these steps. 

1. Log into your Georgia Power account.  
2. Select My Profile.  
3. Select Alerts & Communications.   
4. Under Alerts, navigate to Outage Alerts. Ensure you are Enrolled and that your phone number is accurate and can receive text messages.  

To subscribe to free Georgia Power Outage Alerts through the Georgia Power app, follow these steps. 

1. Log into your Georgia Power account.  
2. Select Account in the lower right corner. 

1. Select Alerts & Notifications. 
2. Scroll to Outage Alerts. Ensure you are Enrolled and that your phone number is accurate and can receive text messages.  

Note: You may need to confirm your number through text message verification to activate.

More: Terms and Conditions  

Safety Tips – Before, During and After a Storm

• Before a Storm: Stay aware, heed advice from officials, and check the weather forecast before heading outdoors. Check your emergency kit and family plan. Unplug major appliances and charge cell phones in case you lose power. 
• During a Storm: Take safe shelter inside a sturdy building away from windows and doors. Avoid contact with conductors of electricity – appliances, metal objects, and water. 
• After a Storm: Never touch any downed or low-hanging wire, including telephone or TV wires that touch a power line. Never pull tree limbs off of power lines yourself or enter areas with debris or downed trees as downed power lines may be buried in wreckage. Customers should call 911 or Georgia Power immediately if they see a fallen or low-hanging power line. 

To learn more about Georgia Power’s Hurricane Helene response or hurricane recovery resources available in your community, visit GeorgiaPower.com/Helene.