Crews continue progress toward restoring service for Alabama customers after Hurricane Zeta
Alabama Power crews are working throughout the state to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. (Wynter Byrd / Alabama NewsCenter)
Alabama Power crews continued to make steady progress restoring service Friday morning following Hurricane Zeta, which roared through Alabama Thursday and knocked out power to nearly one-third of the company’s customers.
The hurricane made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane Wednesday, sweeping across the South and up the East Coast, leaving substantial damage and outages in its wake. For Alabama Power, the impact of the storm is similar to what the company experienced during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the April 27, 2011 tornadoes.
At noon Friday, service had been restored to 289,000 customers while 215,000 remain without power due to the significant, widespread damage throughout the state. Zeta’s tropical-storm-force winds and heavy rain downed poles and trees that knocked out wires, affecting a total of 604,000 customers.
Alabama Power crews are working quickly and safely to restore power after Hurricane Zeta’s widespread damage from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Power outages for Alabama Power customers peaked at 504,000 early Thursday morning. Restoration work began even before then, and storm team evaluators, line crews and support personnel worked throughout the day Thursday and into the night assessing damage and repairing poles and wires damaged in the storm. Crews are working diligently and as quickly and safely as possible to restore service.
Customers should stay away from downed power lines, as well as fallen trees and tree limbs that could be hiding downed lines. Always assume a downed line is still energized and poses a potentially deadly hazard. If you spot a downed line, call Alabama Power at 1-800-888-2726 or local law enforcement and wait for trained crews to perform the potentially dangerous work of removing the line or any debris.
To report a power outage, go to AlabamaPower.com or download the Alabama Power mobile app. Customers can call 1-800-888-2726 to report an outage. Updates on restoration efforts are being posted on Alabama Power social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter.
Zeta is the latest severe storm in this year’s record-breaking hurricane season. More storms are possible before the season ends later this fall, so Alabama Power customers should remain vigilant and have their storm-readiness plans in place. Learn more about how to prepare by visiting Alabama Power’s Storm Center.
