ATLANTA, April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power today joined with The National Association of Journeymen Linemen, other Georgia electric utilities, elected officials and customers to say "thank you" to the state's linemen at the Georgia Capitol prior to the first-ever observance of Georgia Lineman Appreciation Day on Friday, April 18. During the event, which was attended by line personnel from across the state, Georgia Secretary of the Senate David Cook read excerpts from Georgia Senate Resolution 1026, adopted on Feb. 24, designating April 18 as Georgia Lineman Appreciation Day. The Georgia resolution follows the 2013 approval by the U.S. Senate of Resolution 95 which designated April 18 as National Lineman Appreciation Day.

"On behalf of Georgia Power, I am extremely proud to recognize the dedicated employees of Georgia Power and the work they do 24 hours a day to ensure the safety, availability and reliability of power to our customers throughout the state," said Leslie Sibert, vice president of distribution for Georgia Power at the event. "It is inspiring to know that their commitment is recognized within the highest levels of government and we look forward to marking this day of appreciation for many years to come."

The work of Georgia linemen is visible year round, but is especially pronounced during outages which may occur following spring and summer thunderstorms, tornadoes and winter ice storms including, most recently, the February storm that wreaked havoc and impacted service to hundreds of thousands of Georgians. In the aftermath of the February storm, one of the most disruptive in company history, thousands of Georgia Power line personnel and contractors worked with crews from other utilities around the clock to restore 700,000 power outages in just four days.

In addition to serving the company's 2.4 million customers in Georgia, Georgia Power linemen are often called away from their families to help restore power to neighboring states when major storms or disasters occur. Georgia Power linemen can travel thousands of miles each year and, in 2013, spent weeks in the field helping restore power to customers as far away as Arkansas and Washington, D.C. The company has received recognition from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) for outstanding emergency response including the Emergency Recovery Award and the Emergency Assistance Award.

About Georgia Power

Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), one of the nation's largest generators of electricity. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.4 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, advanced coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Consistently recognized as a leader in customer service, Georgia Power was recently ranked highest in overall business customer satisfaction among large utilities in the South by J.D. Power and Associates. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower) and Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower).

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SOURCE Georgia Power