Crew members at the Batesville basecamp restock for the next day’s restoration efforts.
There’s no place like home, and the Entergy Mississippi team is hard at work making sure every home we serve has power after the winter storm.
But have you ever wondered where many of the approximately 2,800 Entergy employees, contractors and support personnel call home during a restoration effort this prolonged?
Welcome to Entergy Mississippi basecamps.
“Basecamps are the launching pad for our restoration efforts,” said Josh Hancock, operations planning manager for Entergy Mississippi, who serves as state logistics manager during major storm events. “It is where our crews can refuel, restock, recover and continue restoring power to our communities.”
During prolonged restoration efforts, logistics become one of the most impactful activities. A key part of successful restoration is making sure crews have the equipment, food, lodging and coordination they need to continue the long, hard work in harsh conditions to restore power to customers.
“Our lineworkers take care of our customers, and we take care of our lineworkers. That’s our job,” said Jonathan Rutledge, project management senior manager, Entergy Nuclear. Rutledge is one of many employees across the company who serve in a storm role that is different from their normal duties. During this event he is supporting the logistics team as a staging supervisor.
For this storm response, Entergy Mississippi pre-positioned four strategically located basecamps in Batesville, Cleveland, Greenville and Grenada.
A typical basecamp includes:
- bunk trailers housing 500-750 individuals
- restrooms and showers
- food tents
- laundry facilities
- parking lots for 200-400 vehicles, including bucket trucks
- fuel
- generators for essential equipment
- material staging and re-stocking locations
These facilities benefit more than the restoration crews, extending to the broader community as well.
Immediately following the winter storm when all power was out in the area and lines at gas stations had a two-hour wait time, the Grenada-located basecamp was able to provide essential refueling to emergency service vehicles, keeping them on the road and helping the community.
“Whatever community we go into, we partner with them and help provide fuel, food and more,” said Bill Mock, maintenance services manager for Entergy Nuclear, who is serving as a staging supervisor during this storm response. “We are here to help each other.”
