Mississippi Power employees reflect on Hurricane Katrina

Ninety-five years and going strong!

That’s how long Mississippi Power has been serving its customers, now including 190,000 customers in 23 Mississippi counties.

For more information.- - ninety-five years and going - strong.

- that's how long mississippi - power has been serving its- customers,- now including 190-thousand- customers in 23 southest- mississippi counties.

- with the 15 year anniversary of- hurricane katrina just a day- away - and a possible deploymen- unfolding to- help those ravished by hurrican- laura in louisiana and- texas - mississippi power - officials, past and present,- reflect - and look forward.

- news 25's toni miles has the- story.- quick!!

- - watching hurricane laura- pound our neighbors to the west- hits close to home for- many of us, especially those of- us who lived here in south- mississippi when katrina roared- ashore, devastating our - mississippi gulf coast, leaving- us - including every single - mississippi - power customer in our area in - - - - the dark.

Within 12 days, - mississippi power had managed t- get the lights- back on.- linda watts, mississippi power- retired, coast division manager- 2005- : "we know how to get the light back on.

We always have been- good at that, but as- - - - time progressed, even in the- first few days, it was evidence- that was going to be just a - piece of what we were going to- have do to recover from the - - - - storm."

Sixteen million gallons of salt water flooded the - basement of - plant watson in gulfport, which- - - - housed five generators.

Melivin- wilson, mississippi power - retired, logistics director,- 2005- : "unfortunatley, katrina was a larger hurricane than we had- planned for, so we- had to adapt our plan to- katrina.

As you know we brought- a lot of people to- mississippi to help us get the- lights back on.

I think by day- - - - three we already had 6,000- people working in our service - territory.

By day nine, that wa- nearly 12,000 people."

- - - there were plenty of lessons- learned during and after- - - - katrina - all now put to use in- mississippi power's current - day strategy and planning.- cedrick hurd, mississippi power- "so the lessons learned from katrina have- certainly become a baseline par- of our planning today."

Anthony wilson, mississippi - power president and ceo: "just know that all of- the lessons learned from that - event 15 years ago today we are- applying today.

I - - - - believe we are a better company- now than then, and if another - storm comes - calling, we're going to be- ready."

- - - as evidenced by the mississippi- power trucks and employees- ready to deploy to help out our- neighbors to the west in the- wake- and aftermath of hurricane- laura.- toni miles, news 25.-