Overnight thunderstorms Thursday evening and Friday afternoon brought heavy rains, strong, gusty high winds, and lighting strikes into our service territory resulting in outages and damages to our facilities. At peak, 12,976 outages occurred at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. Since then, we have made significant restoration progress, and as of 6:30 p.m., approximately 3,873 customers are without power from this event.
Crew resources, including linemen, contractors, damage assessors, vegetation workers and support personnel are working to provide restoration for these customer outages. Multiple smaller, individual outages typically prolong restorations, and the extremely high temperatures create safety issues that impact our crews’ productivity and require more rest time which further prolongs restorations.
As damage assessment has begun, we have identified damages to over 40 poles, 20 transformers, 20 cross arms, and 89,000 feet of downed wire.
Due to the extreme heat conditions and number of individual outages, we anticipate a multi-day restoration to extend until 12:00 p.m. Monday, August 24 for some customers. For updated estimated restoration times, view our outage map at www.entergy.com/view-outages. These estimates are subject to change as damage assessment continues.
Please remember, Entergy restoration workers cannot restore power to a location with a damaged meter base, conduit or weather head (the metal pipe extending upward from the structure with electrical cables inside). These items must be repaired by a qualified electrician before our workers can restore power. Learn more about the electrical equipment that serves your home.
The most dangerous part of a storm is often just after it has passed, including hazards such as downed power lines and debris. Energized lines may not be visible among the rubble. Customers should stay away from downed lines and report them immediately by calling 1-800-9OUTAGE or 1-800-968-8243 and your local police station or fire department.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as our crews safely work to restore customers’ power.
As with any weather event, please be mindful of the following safety tips:
- Live wires can be deadly. Stay away from downed power lines. Call 1-800-9OUTAGE or 1-800-968-8243 to report downed or dangling power lines, damaged or downed poles or other damaged equipment.
- Do not trim trees or remove debris on or near downed power lines. Only power company crews or their contractors should remove trees or limbs touching power lines. Again, stay away from downed power lines.
- Keep away from the immediate areas where crews are working. There is always the danger of moving equipment and the possibility of construction materials, limbs or overhead wires falling to the ground.
- If you plan on using a generator for temporary power, get a licensed electrician and disconnect from the utility electric system before hooking up to your main electric panel.
- Do not run a generator in a confined space without adequate ventilation. Use them only outdoors, following all manufacturers’ safety guidelines.
- Turn off any electrical appliances that can easily be turned to the off position until power is restored.
We want to keep you informed and in control. The best way to get information about outages is via Entergy’s View Outage page on our website. Additional resources for your convenience:
Download our app for your smartphone at entergy.com/app or visit Entergy Storm Center to stay informed on our restoration progress.
Sign up for text alerts. From your cellphone, text REG to 36778, or visit https://www.myentergy.com/s/ to sign up.
