Georgia Power offers safety tips during winter weather - WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather & Sports

(WTVM) -  As winter weather continues across Georgia, Georgia Power is urging safety on the road and around power lines.

Some safety tips include:

• Stay safe around downed power lines. Severe winter weather can cause trees and power lines to fall on cars and roadways. If you see a downed power line, call 911 or Georgia Power immediately and, if you are trapped in your car by a downed power line, do not try to exit the vehicle before first responders arrive.
• Watch for utility crews and GDOT vehicles working on the roads. Utility linemen are included in Georgia’s “Move-Over Law,” which requires drivers to move over one lane when utility crews are working on the roadside.
• Pay attention to alerts and advisories. Stay off the roads as much as possible before, during and after winter weather and wait until GDOT provides an “all clear” to travel. Dial 511 from your mobile phone to access GDOT’s Travel Information System.

Here are some tools you can use to prepare for severe weather year-round:

• Outage Alerts – Subscribe to the free Georgia Power Outage Alert service to receive personalized notifications and updates via text message.
• Outage & Storm Center – Available at www.georgiapower.com/storm, customers can visit this site to sign up for Outage Alerts, report and check the status of outages, and access useful safety tips and information. Customers can report and check the status of an outage 24 hours a day by contacting Georgia Power at 888-891-0938.  
• Outage Map – Housed within the Outage & Storm Center, Georgia Power’s interactive Outage Map provides near real-time information, allowing users to see where outages are occurring across the state and track estimated restoration times.
• Georgia Power Mobile App – Download the Georgia Power mobile app for Apple and Android devices to access storm and outage information on the go.
• @GeorgiaPower on Twitter – Follow @GeorgiaPower on Twitter for storm tips, outage updates, customer service and more.

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