Hurricane Laura continues on a path of destruction that should ultimately end on the East Coast, more than 13,000 restoration workers from 27 states are focused on Texas and Louisiana, helping restore light and life to communities devastated by the catastrophic Category 4 storm.
A line of severe thunderstorms with strong winds passed through Mississippi causing 26,836 customer outages at peak across the state. As of 6 p.m. April 24, more than 24,000 customers have been restored. The remaining outages are in McComb and Summit in Pike County. Entergy estimates that most customers will be restored by 10 PM Friday and we are optimistic that we will be able to complete restoration by the end of the day Saturday. Damage estimates for this storm included 90 broken poles, 357 spans of wire down, 37 damaged transformers and 50 broken cross arms with the majority of that damage being in McComb and Summit.
A line of severe thunderstorms with strong winds passed through Mississippi causing 26,836 customer outages at peak across the state. As of 7:30 p.m. April 23, nearly 20,000 customers have been restored. Most outages occurred along I-55 from Terry south to McComb. While Entergy crews continue to work to restore power to the remaining customers, due to extensive damage not all will be restored tonight. Additional crews from several nearby states have been mobilized to help with damage assessment and the restoration.
As the company prepares, Mississippians should, too
During a pandemic a power outage could be catastrophic. So, it is vital to keep the health crisis from hitting the front lines of a utility company’s workforce. When a national shortage of hand sanitizer threatened, Dillon Allen was one Entergy employee tasked with finding enough of the product to supply thousands who are working to keep the power flowing.
The Pearl River has crested, however that does not mean this flood event is over. More rain is expected this week which may delay our ability to restore power, as the water must first recede. When flood waters do recede, we will work with customers to restore service. If a house has taken on flood waters, a city inspection may be required prior to reestablishing service.
Flood Update: We are continuing to patrol the neighborhoods that are experiencing flooding to monitor the flood level and the rise in water to determine whether additional customers will need to be disconnected. We are making every effort to avoid disconnecting customers if possible, but may need to do so for safety reasons. We are closely monitoring Georgetown and Monticello as flood waters are expected to crest there on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
If you have been told by authorities to evacuate due to potential flooding, please do so. If you choose to stay, understand that Entergy may need to cut your electrical service and you will be without power until the waters recede. Even if your home has not been flooded, if you are on a street where other homes are flooded, you may lose power as well.
Due to rising levels on the Pearl River, Entergy Mississippi has de-energized two Jackson substations and disconnected electrical service to some low-lying deer camps in Madison County as a public safety precaution and to comply with the National Electric Safety Code.
They are at the top of their game when electrifying the grid. Now, they’ve shown they can electrify the gridiron, too.