Georgia Magazine - April 2018 - 9

Thank you, linemen!

lectric utility linemen help keep the lights on whenever you flip the switch.
Their expertise and knowledge are vital each day but especially critical
when outages occur and power must be restored. Working with electricity
is inherently dangerous, but the hazards linemen encounter are often compounded by extreme weather conditions and difficult terrain, such as remote
mountain areas, rivers, streams and swamps.
For this type of extraordinary work and the important role they perform
each day, electric utilities in Georgia have designated April as Linemen Appreciation Month. Take time today to thank your local co-op line crew!

ISTOCK.COM / IDEEONE

April is Safe
Digging Month

as the cable TV service ever gone
out right as your team was about
to kick that game-winning field
goal? Or has the power gone out in
the middle of making dinner? While
these could have been storm-related
outages, nearly 1,000 of these incidents each month are caused by unsafe digging practices in Georgia.
As summer approaches, more
people are outside doing yardwork,
and that makes April, designated
Safe Digging Month, the perfect time
to remind everyone how to practice
safe digging habits. Even small projects, such as planting a shrub, can
cause damage to underground utilities, so it is best to contact Georgia
811 to determine where and how to
dig for any project.
Simply call 811 or go online to
Georgia811.com before you dig and
tell them where you want to dig. The
affected utility companies will come
out to mark your digging area. Using
Georgia 811 is safe, free and easy.
Meghan Wade, president of
Georgia 811, stresses that calling first
"not only helps prevent utility damage but can also help to avoid serious
injury, environmental damage, utility
service interruptions, project delays,
extensive repairs and legal problems.
Contacting 811 should be the first
step in any safe digging project."
Plus, you don't want to be that
neighbor.
-Katie Cowart

April 2018

The lineman specialty license plate is still available and helps show your appreciation for
electric lineworkers while supporting a worthy cause. Proceeds from the sales of the plate
go to the Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation in Augusta, which helps the families of
burn patients. Visit bit.ly/gaprstgp for details.

Find it this month!

Want to win a $25 gift card?
Are you a resourceful reader? One lucky reader who finds and
submits the correct answers to these trivia questions will win a
$25 Target gift card.
1) What nonprofit organization honored Coastal Electric Cooperative by
including it on a T-shirt for the group's St. Patrick's Day celebrations?
2) What was the name of Peter Loose's dog, who had a special friendship
with artist Howard Finster?
3) What recycled item is recommended for making mini-greenhouses over
seeds to speed up sprouting?
4) What is the name of the antique boat shown in this month's Calendar?
5) Kidney recipient Ashaun Thompson is a member of the track team at
what school?

How to enter:

Send an email to magazine@georgia
emc.com with the answers to all five
questions by April 30, 2018. Be sure
to include your name, address and
phone number. (If more than one
person answers all the questions
correctly, we'll draw from among
all correct answers to determine the
$25 Target gift card winner.)
More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

TARGET
gift card

$25

http://www.ISTOCK.COM http://www.bit.ly/gaprstgp http://www.Georgia811.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - April 2018