Georgia
JEA, Georgia Power ready to respond to Tuesday’s severe weather
Georgia Power and JEA teams are in place and ready to respond to outages as conditions clear after severe thunderstorms that are expected to bring high wind and heavy rain.
JEA said its headquarters will remain open Tuesday to serve customers and that the primary focus for its teams during severe weather events is the safety of its crews and community members.
Preparing for the storm: High winds, downed trees, potential power outages expected Tuesday | FWC urges owners to prepare and secure boats | Will the bridges close?
JEA offered some tips for customers to keep in mind Tuesday:
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Outages: Some customers may experience power outages during the storm. JEA encourages all residential and commercial customers to visit jea.com/outage or call 904-665-6000 to report and track outages. Customers also can text “OUT” to MyJEA (69532) to report their outage.
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Restoration: In the event of outages, getting power back on for everyone will be JEA’s number one priority. The utility said it will work as quickly as safety permits to restore power. The number and extent of the outages will determine how long that takes, so JEA asks for patience.
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Downed Lines: The storms also may cause downed power lines. We urge residents to keep clear of any downed wires and to report any instances by calling 904-665-6000.
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Outdoor Furniture: With the forecast of severe winds, please secure or bring inside any outdoor furniture or other loose items.
In Georgia, as the storm conditions subside making it safe and efficient to work, Georgia Power crews will enter and remain in the field around the clock working until every service for every impacted customer is restored, the utility said.
Georgia Power reminds customers to keep safety first during severe winter weather and offers the following tips and tools.
Safety After The Storm (Find More Tips Here)
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Never touch any downed or low-hanging line. Always assume power lines are energized. Report the location of any downed or low-hanging line to Georgia Power. You can also contact local authorities or 911.
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Never try to make your own electrical repairs to Georgia Power equipment.
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Never pull tree limbs off power lines as they could be energized.
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Never go into areas with debris or downed trees. Dangerous power lines may be buried in the wreckage.
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Avoid stepping in puddles and standing water after a storm as they may be touching hidden, downed power lines and be electrified.
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Never walk into areas where crews are at work. If you’re driving near work crews, obey road signs and proceed cautiously.
Tools You Can Use to Stay Connected & Informed
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Outage Alerts – Customers subscribed to our free Georgia Power Outage Alert service will receive personalized notifications and updates via text message. Check that your contact number is up to date to receive the latest information.
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Outage & Storm Center – Available at www.georgiapower.com/storm, customers can visit this site to check their contact information is updated to receive Outage Alerts, report and check the status of outages, and access useful safety tips and information. Customers can also report and check the status of an outage 24 hours a day by contacting Georgia Power at 888-891-0938.
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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.
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Georgia Power Mobile App – Download the Georgia Power mobile app for Apple and Android devices to access storm and outage information on the go.
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@GeorgiaPower on X (Twitter) – Follow @GeorgiaPower on X for storm tips, outage updates, customer service and more.
What to do
If you didn’t prepare to lose power, but you have, here are some tips from Consumer Reports to help keep you and your family safe.
If you have a generator, never turn it on inside — not even in your garage. The carbon monoxide it emits can kill you.
Unplug electrical equipment like your computer and TV. They can be damaged by a surge when the power comes back on. Leave a light switch turned on so you know when the power is back.
If you keep the doors closed, a refrigerator will maintain a safe temperature below 40°F for about four hours. A full freezer will stay cold for 48 hours — 24 (hours) if it’s half full.
Use your grill to cook any raw food before it goes bad. Make sure to do this outside — not in your garage or any other closed space. You’ll still need to chill the food or you can share it with the neighbors — but at least it’s not in the trash.
To conserve your phone’s battery power, close any apps running in the background and turn on low power mode. Depending on your device, this will do anything from disabling your voice assistant to dimming the display.
Before your phone dies, write important information down on paper like emergency numbers.
Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
Georgia
Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia
22 sea turtles released into the ocean at Jekyll Island
Mystic Aquarium, a Connecticut-based aquarium and animal rescue organization, released 22 sea turtles into the Ocean at Jekyll Island.
A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.
In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.
Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.
Here’s what to know.
What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?
Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.
“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”
While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.
One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.
Where are visitors staying?
The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:
- The Cloister at Sea Island
- Jekyll Island Club Resort
- St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.
Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.
What can you do in the Golden Isles?
Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:
- Biking under live oaks
- Kayaking through marsh creeks
- Horseback riding along the beach
- Watching sunsets over the water.
Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.
The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.
For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
Georgia
Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering $2B in Georgia tax relief
ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…
“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”
Key allocations in the amended budget include:
- Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
- Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
- Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
- Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
- Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.
Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”
Georgia
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’
MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.
According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.
RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’
WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:
The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.
DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)
However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.
RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout
GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.
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