Alabama Power Outage: 5 Urgent Things You Need to Know Right Now
- The outage is currently affecting over 120,000 residents across central and northern Alabama, with Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Huntsville reporting the highest concentrations of power loss.
- Alabama Power has confirmed that severe storms with hurricane-force wind gusts exceeding 70 mph are the root cause, downing hundreds of power lines and rooted trees into infrastructure.
- Officials estimate restoration could take 48 to 72 hours for the hardest-hit areas, as crews must clear debris and repair substations before re-energizing lines.
- Emergency shelters have been opened across 12 counties; residents without power should text 'OUTAGE' to 23000 for updates or call 1-800-245-2244 to report hazards like downed wires.
- Cybersecurity experts are warning of a surge in scam calls where fraudsters pose as Alabama Power representatives demanding immediate payment to 'avoid disconnection' during this chaotic outage window.