Preparing for severe weather is a year‑round priority. As part of our continuous focus on readiness, employees from across our four‑state service area recently participated in a system tropical weather exercise designed to strengthen our response to major weather events.

This year’s exercise simulated a Category 4 hurricane making landfall near Galveston, Texas, bringing sustained winds of 130 mph and gusts up to 150 mph. The scenario tracked the storm as it moved through Winnie and Beaumont in Texas, and Lake Charles in Louisiana, causing extensive system damage, significant outages, and storm surge impacts across coastal communities. Employees drilled how they would coordinate restoration, operations, logistics, communications and customer support during a large‑scale event. Teams worked through real‑world challenges, such as widespread infrastructure damage, staging and resource needs and technical issues, testing decision‑making processes and practicing the coordinated response required to safely and quickly restore power.

“Exercises like this are invaluable. They allow us to pressure test our plans, strengthen coordination across teams, and reinforce the disciplined execution required when a real storm threatens our customers and communities,” said Dakin DuBroc, vice president, incident response. “Every drill sharpens our ability to respond safely, quickly and with purpose.”

Focused training to support storm response
In addition to the full‑scale storm drill, employees across the company took part in focused training sessions designed to strengthen how we work during major weather events. These sessions, focused on staging centers and logistics and resources, helped employees understand their incident response roles and further build confidence ahead of hurricane season.

Staging center training
Staging centers are essential to our storm response operations because they serve as centralized hubs where crews receive lodging, meals, fuel, materials and daily assignments. This year’s staging training gave employees a hands‑on look at the equipment, layouts, activities and on-site vendors that keep these sites running.

“We have evolved staging site training tremendously,” said Gino Spadafore, senior incident response specialist. “We have created an in-person experience where they can see and work the equipment they will use in the field. By walking the site and getting familiar with a real staging setup before they ever deploy, employees are more confident, better prepared and ready to support our lineworkers during a major restoration.”

Employees toured real operational setups, including sleeping trailers, food service areas, fuel stations and parking zones. They practiced crew check‑ins, site documentation, vendor coordination and managing safe traffic flow, all tasks that help staging centers operate smoothly during large‑scale events.

Logistics and resources training
Reliable logistics are critical to storm response. Earlier this year, employees participated in logistics training focused on the processes and tools used to support fuel delivery, fleet operations, materials distribution and resource tracking during an event.

“Logistics training is about making sure employees are comfortable in their storm roles and have the knowledge they need to work safely and effectively,” said Kelly Knight, senior incident response specialist. “We focused on tangible exercises and technology trainings so they can practice using the tools that help us track resources and support crews in the field. The more confident employees feel in the process, the better we can respond as one team and meet our customers’ needs during an event.”

The training also highlighted new digital tools that replaced manual forms and spreadsheets. These systems help track personnel, lodging assignments, equipment and fuel usage with greater accuracy. Stronger data and real‑time information allow Entergy to move resources quickly to where they are needed most.

This hands‑on training helped employees see how logistics directly impacts our ability to restore power. By understanding the full process — from fuel and supplies to staffing and safety — employees are better equipped to support a fast, coordinated response for our customers.

Looking ahead to hurricane season
This year’s seasonal outlook predicts 13 named storms, with six expected to become hurricanes — including two major hurricanes of Category 3 or stronger. The forecast follows a challenging start to the year: severe winter conditions across our service area, spring storms impacting Arkansas and Mississippi, and an unusually active spring fire season in the South, with nearly 81 wildfires recorded in Entergy communities to date.

“We must remain ready for a wide range of threats, which is why we continue to refine how we train and prepare,” said Dakin DuBroc, vice president, incident response. “Our employees take this responsibility seriously, and I’m proud of their commitment to being prepared for anything.”

Watch the video below to see more of what employees experienced during staging site training.