BATON ROUGE, La. – Entergy Louisiana’s storm team continues assessing damage and restoring power following a significant January winter storm that brought freezing temperatures, ice accumulation and hazardous conditions across Entergy’s Louisiana service territory.

At this time, the company anticipates that 90% of customers in areas with favorable access along the I-20 corridor, including Ouachita parish, who can safely receive power, will be restored by Wednesday evening, Jan. 28. Restoration in other highly impacted, hard-to-access areas may experience restoration efforts continuing through the end of the day Thursday, Jan. 29.  Please note, estimated restoration times are when 90% of a given parish is anticipated to be restored; Entergy Louisiana expects to restore power to most customers sooner.

Please note that these estimates are subject to change as we complete our assessments and continue with restoration work in the affected areas. We will issue updates to these estimates as we learn more.

Entergy Louisiana advises customers that if they live in a neighborhood that has had power restored but don’t have power at their home, they likely have electrical damage. For information about a home’s electrical equipment, visit Entergy.com/stormcenter/weatherhead.

• If a customer is without power, they should check for damage to the electrical equipment attached to their home or business. If there is damage, they should contact an electrician to make repairs.
• If electric equipment appears undamaged, text OUT to 36778 or call 1-800-9OUTAGE (800-968-8243).
• If damage has been repaired by a qualified electrician, call 1-800-ENTERGY (800-368-3749) to generate a service reconnection work order.

Additional resources continue to pour into the region from across Entergy’s service territory to bring power back to the nearly 91,500 customers who were without power.

Entergy Louisiana begins restoring power to customers as safely and quickly as possible. To support the safety of our workforce and avoid fatigue, individuals are generally not allowed to work more than 16 hours in a 24-hour period and should never work more than 13 days in a row without a 24-hour rest period. This allows our restoration crews to get adequate rest and safely restore power when working.

Our employees are prepared to work extended hours once conditions are safe, while following strict safety and fatigue-management protocols.

Restoring power during winter storms is different from other weather events and requires a careful, step-by-step approach to protect both customers, workers and the electric grid.

Before power can be restored, damage to infrastructure must be assessed. Damage assessment and restoration work has been slowed by downed vegetation blocking roadways and icy road conditions. Once it is safe to do so, crews begin evaluating damage to power plants, transmission lines, substations and local distribution equipment.

Cold load pickup is the phenomenon that takes place when a distribution circuit is re-energized following an extended outage of that circuit. It is referred to as cold load pickup because the power supply has been unavailable for a period of time, so the load has reached a “cold” state before being re-energized. Customers can assist by turning off or unplugging their electric appliances during their outage, so they don’t all restart immediately as power is restored.

Customer safety and community resources 

Customers should continue to prioritize safety while outages persist.

• Warming centers: Customers in need of shelter and warmth should consider local warming centers or shelters if it is safe to travel. To find a listing of available warming centers, visit GOHSEP’s Louisiana Warming Centers: https://gohsep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/9d47b24a528f43cf84633a2c04270706
• Road conditions: Please be aware that roads may be hazardous or closed during restoration efforts. Road conditions and closure information can be found here from Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development: https://www.511la.org/
• Generator safety: Never use generators indoors or in and never connect a generator directly to home wiring without proper transfer equipment.
• Heating safety: Never use ovens, grills or outdoor heating devices to heat your home.
• Downed power lines: Always assume downed lines are energized and dangerous — stay away and report them immediately by calling 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) or your local police/fire department.

Be aware of scams

Customers are urged to remain on alert as severe weather increases scam attempts. Remember, Entergy will never demand immediate payment from customers over the phone. If a call sounds suspicious, hang-up and call 1-800-ENTERGY(800-368-3749) to speak directly with an Entergy customer service representative.

Stay connected

Customers are encouraged to stay informed through Entergy’s Storm Center for real-time outage updates, safety information and restoration progress.

Download the Entergy app. Customers can use the app to report outages or check on the status of power at their home or business.

Check Entergy’s View Outages map. Maps show where outages are located and give information about restoration progress. Outages can be reported using the Entergy mobile app, online at myEntergy.com, or by texting OUT to 36778.

Storm-related updates are also shared on social media.