Georgia Power celebrates the work of thousands of linemen across the state keeping the lights on for customers in Georgia rain or shine. For the fourth consecutive year, Georgia Power is partnering with the state's other electric utilities to say "thank you" to the Georgia men and women who work tirelessly to ensure reliable electric service for customers in any season.

Whether it's celebrating the return of lights and heat with family during an ice storm or seeing power lines run to a new subdivision before moving in to a new house, Georgia Power invites customers to sign a special digital "thank you" card to share how the work of a lineman has positively impacted their lives. Visit www.ongeorgia.org/lineman to sign the card and browse thank you notes from 2015. Additionally, Georgians can follow stories from across the country on social media by using #ThankALineman.

"Our line crews are some of the most visible employees working every day to keep the lights on in communities from Dalton to Atlanta to Savannah," said Leslie Sibert, vice president of distribution for Georgia Power. "The dedication and passion of our linemen so often goes unnoticed and this annual celebration has become a great way for us to simply recognize their commitment to our customers."

Line crews function seamlessly as part of a larger Georgia Power power delivery team, which also includes logistics teams and generation teams at power plants statewide, to keep reliable energy flowing to thousands of homes and businesses.  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.

In addition to serving the company's 2.5 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 can spend weeks in the field helping restore power to customers as far away as New York and Houston.  The company has received recognition from the Edison Electric Institute for outstanding emergency response including the Emergency Recovery Award and the Emergency Assistance Award.