January 21, 2026
Winter Storm Fern
Winter Storm Fern is expected to bring subfreezing temperatures and potentially significant snow and ice to Georgia this weekend. Our crews across the state are engaged and ready to safely and quickly respond to potential damage and restore service for our customers.
As we prepare, we encourage you to take steps now to prepare your homes and families too.
How can ice cause power outages?
In cold temperatures, materials like wood and metal can become brittle, and if ice begins to accumulate on tree limbs and power lines it can have a severe impact.
Even a small layer of ice can translate to hundreds of pounds of added weight, and cause lines and trees to sag. Tree limbs can easily begin to snap, and entire trees can be uprooted, leading to outages when they either come into contact with power lines, or in some cases, take poles down with them.
9 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Winter
Stock up on...
- Batteries, flashlights and blankets.
- Water.
- Non-perishable canned goods.
- Protein-rich foods like peanut butter and canned meats.
And make sure you...
- Keep your phones and medical devices charged.
- Check in on pets and loved ones.
- Pick up any critical medicine while it's safe to do so.
- Keep doors and windows closed to keep the warm in and the cold out.
- Drip your faucets to keep your pipes from freezing.
Look Out For These 4 Dangers
Fire Hazards
- Never leave candles unattended.
- Maintain ventilation around fireplaces.
- Use space heaters only on level surfaces – away from furniture, curtains, water, children and pets.
Portable Gas Generators and Deadly Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Generators produce
deadly levels of carbon monoxide very quickly. You cannot smell or see carbon monoxide. - Never use a generator in a small or enclosed space.
- If you feel sick, dizzy, or weak while using a generator, find fresh air right away.
- If you feel seriously ill, seek medical attention immediately. Inform medical staff you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning.
- If you became ill indoors, let the fire department determine when it is safe to re-enter the building.
Dangerous Roads
- Stay off icy roads. Even experienced winter drivers can easily slide off the road without proper winter tires.
- Watch out for Georgia Power crews working across the state. If you must be out driving, please move over one lane for utility vehicles stopped on the side of the road – it's the law in Georgia.
Power Lines and Falling Trees
- A build-up of ice can make wood brittle and add hundreds of pounds of weight to grid infrastructure and vegetation, and cause trees and limbs to break and fall.
- Never touch any downed or low-hanging wire. Call 911.
- Warn anyone going outside to watch for and avoid downed wires and anything they may be making contact with.
- Never pull tree limbs off of power lines yourself or enter areas with heavy snow, debris or downed trees as downed power lines may be concealed. Call 911.
Always Stay Safe and Aware
Learn about our power restoration process
Watch the video below
1. Vital Community Services
Restoring power to community services such as hospitals, emergency and public safety services, and water and sewage stations is always first priority.
2. Highest Impact
Next, we focus on repairs that return power to the greatest number of customers in the least amount of time.
3. Smaller lines
Finally, we repair smaller lines until crews get down to individual lines in neighborhoods. We won’t stop until power has been restored to every customer.
See how we respond to storms
What does "Assessing Conditions" mean?
MONITOR
We keep an eye on the forecast and mobilize extra crews in case they are needed.
Our Storm Center monitors changing conditions and is ready to respond to major storms 24/7.
MOBILIZE
We track damage and identify resources needed for repairs.
Once the storm has passed, skilled damage assessment teams deploy to survey damage, identify the cause of an outage and what’s needed to fix it.
RESTORE
We won’t stop until all customers are back on.
The Storm Center tracks progress and moves crews to assist in restoration efforts to ensure all customers’ service is restored as quickly and safely as possible.
Find out how you can protect your home and family
Make an Emergency Supply Kit
A well-stocked emergency supply kit can mean the difference between an inconvenience and a crisis. View our list of items to have handy in an emergency.
Make an Emergency Plan
Make sure everyone in your family knows the plan in case someone gets separated.
View our checklist of everything your plan should contain.
Important To-Dos
Do you have water? Are the phones fully charged? Gas tank filled?
View our list of important To-Dos to prepare you for any storm.
When we're unable to restore power
An often overlooked but critical point of connection when restoring power is the electric service entrance, the point at or near the power meter where our lines join with your home’s electrical wires. This connection must be repaired by a certified electrician before we can restore power to your home. To request a repair, call 1-877-749-3931.
Damaged service entrances often look like:
- Georgia Power service wires down
- Mast pipe bent
- Weather head damaged or absent
- Service entrance pulled from house (i-bolt, screw knob, wire, or mast pipe)
- Meter base pulled from house
Please note:
We CANNOT repair or restore power to homes with damaged service entrances.
If you decide to schedule your own contractor, please call 1-877-749-3931 when repairs are complete so that your home can be added to the service restoration schedule.
Once your damaged service is repaired and Georgia Power is notified, we will schedule the reconnection of your service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes an outage?
How do you get the lights on?
What happens after a storm?
Why don't I see your crews?
How to prepare for a hurricane?
Outages & Restoration FAQs
How do customers report a power outage?
Thanks to smart technology, Georgia Power typically knows when customers are experiencing an outage. Customers wishing to report an outage my do so through:
Website at GeorgiaPower.com/Outage
Call 888-891-0938
Text “OUT” to 42797
Download the Georgia Power mobile app
Please report any emergencies immediately, including street light outages, downed power lines or low-hanging wires.
Review tips for additional safety precautions.
How do you prioritize restoring power to customers?
In restoring power to customers, Georgia Power focuses on restores the greatest number of customers in the shortest amount of time, prioritizing hospitals, schools, medical care facilities, and anything related to public health and safety.
Why are crews not working in the field?
Once the storm passes and conditions are safe, Georgia Power is committed to working safely and as quickly as possible to restore power to customers. Even if you do not see crews in the field, rest assured restoration workers are focused on getting the lights back on for customers. Crews’ activities may include pre-staging ahead of the storm, coming back from an assignment or obtaining on a new one from a distribution center, working on main power lines farther away but related to the outage, and more.
Where can customers go for more information?
For the latest information, please visit www.GeorgiaPower.com, call 888-891-0938 or follow us on Twitter (@GeorgiaPower).
Are outside crews being brought in to help with restoration?
Georgia Power has access to additional resources available as part of the Southern Company system, which includes multiple electric and gas companies serving more than 9 million customers nationwide. Additionally, Georgia Power is part of a national mutual assistance network consisting of dozens of utilities from around the country, and the company can tap into reinforcements when needed to restore power to Georgia customers following a storm.
Storm Safety FAQs
Is Georgia Power prepared for this storm?
Georgia Power is prepared to respond to outages safely and as quickly as possible for its 2.7 million customers. Just as Georgia Power is prepared for severe weather, the company wants customers to be prepared too. High winds and heavy precipitation from storms can cause destruction in the community, including damage to the energy grid causing power outages. Together with state and community partners, Georgia Power is ready to respond and help the community get back to normal.
What is the company encouraging customers to do?
Above all else, safety is the top priority. Georgia Power encourages customers to have an emergency plan that helps their families stay safe and as ready as possible in storms. Visit GeorgiaPower.com/storm for checklists on what to do before, during and after a storm. Get advice on building an emergency supply kit, getting personalized outage alerts, reporting and checking on the status of outages, accessing useful safety tips and information, and more.
Does Georgia Power repair my storm damaged meter box?
If your meter box is damaged by weather or by any kind of accident, repair is the customer's responsibility. Georgia Power cannot, by regulation, connect power to a damaged meter box. If your meter box (or the pole on top of it) is damaged, a professional electrician must repair it to code before we're allowed to restore your service.
Local, State and Federal Resources
Emergency resources are available to help you plan for, and recover from, disasters.
Outage Resources
If you’re currently experiencing an outage, know that we’re working to fix it. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.
Watch our brothers and sisters at Mississippi Power mobilize to lend their support.
Mississippi Power sent crews ahead of Hurricane Idalia to assist us with restoring power to our customers.
Make an Emergency Supply Kit
Your kit should contain supplies to get you and your family through three days without electricity or running water.
A well-stocked emergency supply kit can mean the difference between an inconvenience and a crisis.
- Keep your kit in a waterproof container.
- Check it yearly to make sure it’s up to date.
- Keep a smaller version in your car in case of sudden emergencies.
Make an Emergency Plan
Make sure everyone in your family knows the plan in case someone gets separated.
A good emergency plan should include all of the following items:
- A deadline to evacuate.
- A duty for each member of the family.
- Plans for family pets.
- List of local emergency shelters
- Meeting places in case your group gets separated.
- A destination after you evacuate.
- Safe places to keep important items.
- Storage plans for boats or recreational vehicles.
- Contact information for emergency services.
- Contact information for elderly friends, neighbors or family members.
- List of relatives to notify.
Important To-Dos
Check to see that your Emergency Supply Kit is stocked
Make sure Emergency Plan is complete and shared with family members.
- Make sure house or business is secured if necessary (windows boarded, entryways fortified with sandbags).
- Phones and other devices are fully charged.
- Gas tank filled.
- Spare tire inflated.
- Fill bathtub and spare containers with water.
- Adjust inside temperature.
Your inside temperature can be retained for up to 48 hours.
In warm weather, turn your air conditioning down.
During and after the storm, keep doors and windows closed.
- Keep freezer doors closed and sealed.
Frozen food will keep up to three days in a well-filled freezer.
- Make sure pets have collars or tags.
- NOAA weather radio is secured, with extra batteries.
Please call us at 1-888-891-0938 or call 911 to have the line barricaded until it can be repaired.
- Warn others to stay away.
- Always assume a downed power line is live and life-threatening. Keep children and pets away!
- Do not attempt to remove a person or animal caught in power lines. Call 911 for help!
- Do not attempt to remove tree limbs or any other object from a downed line.
Are you currently experiencing an outage?
Winter Storm Enzo
Brunswick area: Road conditions in the Brunswick area have been significantly impacted with snow, freezing rain, and low temperatures creating numerous challenges. As a result, restoration is taking longer than expected.
Our crews are actively working to respond to outages safely and as quickly as possible.
Are you experiencing an outage?
Please remember:
- Never leave candles unattended.
- Maintain ventilation around fireplaces.
- Use space heaters only on level surfaces.
- Keep heaters away from furniture, curtains, water, children and pets.
- Never use generators indoors.
- Always follow the instructions supplied with your generator model.
Ice and power outages
With winter upon us, we ask all Georgians to stay safe and weather aware as freezing temperatures quickly can lead to dangerous conditions.
Materials like wood and metal can also become brittle in cold temperatures, and together with even small accumulation of ice and snow the impact on grid infrastructure can be severe and cause widespread service interruptions.
As ice begin to form and exponentially build up around tree limbs and power lines, the extra weight of upward of hundreds of pounds can cause lines and trees to sag. Tree limbs breaking under the added weight, or trees getting uprooted altogether, can cause outages when they make contact with power lines, or in some cases take lines and poles down with them.
