National Weather Service extends ice storm warning in the northern portion of the state

BATON ROUGE, La. – With the winter weather system still hovering over the state, Entergy’s Louisiana utilities are sending additional crews to respond to power outages caused by accumulating frozen precipitation in north Louisiana.

The National Weather Service has extended its original ice storm warning for the northern portion of the state, as well as parts of Arkansas and Mississippi, through today. The warning calls for freezing rain mixed with sleet and temperatures remaining near or below freezing through the night.

The additional Entergy Louisiana, LLC and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. crews are drawn from work groups around the state, leaving enough personnel to manage work in their respective local areas.

“While we don’t expect extended outages like other parts of the country saw in December, we have positioned crews and additional resources to safely restore power to our customers as quickly as possible,” said Jeff Aycock, regional customer service manager in West Monroe. “Customer and employee safety is our primary concern. We urge customers to stay away from downed power lines and to report them to us immediately.”

Customers should call 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) to report downed or dangling power lines, poles or other damaged equipment. They also can use the “Report Safety Hazards” form found on the Entergy Louisiana Facebook page.

Entergy officials continue to work with the company’s weather experts to better understand the potential risk and prepare accordingly. A winter storm can pose a significant threat to an electric system if ice and snow accumulate on wires and overhead tree limbs. Tree branches can snap under the additional weight and fall on the electrical system, which causes outages.

Customers are encouraged to download Entergy’s mobile app to quickly access outage maps and information. Storm-preparedness tips and online services are available to customers through “Entergy Storm Center,” “myAccount” and “View Outages.” Through myAccount, customers can sign up to send and receive text information about power outages through their cellphones. Customers can also receive alerts about outages at their homes and businesses. To use the service, customers must register a cellphone number to their Entergy account. Registration is simple. From any text-capable cellphone, send the message REG to 368374. The system will respond and ask for an Entergy account number and ZIP code.

Entergy’s Louisiana utility companies serve more than one million customers through the operating companies Entergy Louisiana, LLC and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. With operations in southern, central and northeastern Louisiana, the companies are part of Entergy Corporation’s electric system serving 2.8 million customers in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas.