Entergy Louisiana’s restoration teams continue to make steady progress following the winter storm. As of 8 a.m., crews have now safely restored power to nearly 70,000 customers, representing about 76% of customers impacted at the peak of the storm. However, that number doesn’t tell the full story. As crews restored power, new outages continued to occur due to ongoing damage from ice-laden trees and power lines.

Since the start of the storm, our crews have restored power 90,000 times across north Louisiana. Put simply, for many customers, power has been restored more than once as crews work through repeated damages. This has truly been a case of two steps forward, one step back.

Several parishes have seen significant progress.  As of 8 a.m., Concordia, Franklin, LaSalle, Tensas, Bienville, Caldwell, Madison, West Carroll and Grant parishes are now more than 90% restored, and Richland Parish is 89% restored.

Damage assessments across north Louisiana are nearly complete, allowing crews to fully shift their focus to repairs. So far, teams have identified extensive damage, including approximately:

• 920 utility poles
• 500 miles of wire
• 210 transformers

In the most heavily impacted and hard-to-access areas, crews continue to discover additional damage caused by fallen trees, adding to the already significant totals identified during initial assessments. Crews continue to experience falling trees and limbs while restoring power, especially in rural areas where debris has not been cleared.  Our vegetation crews are proactively removing hanging and leaning limbs that threaten the electric system, but additional outages and restoration delays are possible due to falling vegetation. These restorations are extremely labor- and time-intensive, often requiring specialized off-road equipment and the replacement of multiple poles and spans.

For example, in the Warden area of Richland Parish, 75 utility poles must be replaced to restore power to a single group of 110 customers. This work requires approximately 20 crews working a day and a half to complete. Situations like this illustrate why restoration in some areas is taking longer despite significant progress overall.

Looking ahead, we are closely monitoring a forecast calling for gusty winds up to 35 mph as another cold front moves through north Louisiana. For the safety of our crews, bucket trucks cannot be used until sustained winds drop below 30 mph.

Customer information centers

To provide additional support while we work to restore service, Entergy Louisiana’s Customer Information Centers in areas heavily impacted by the recent winter storm will be open through Jan. 31.  As of 5 pm yesterday, we have served approximately 2000 customers.

At these centers, customers can receive the latest outage and restoration updates, learn about available assistance programs and community resources, charge mobile devices and speak directly with Entergy representatives.

The Customer Information Centers are located at:

• West Monroe Community Center – 400 S. 5th St, W. Monroe, LA 71292 (open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
• Bastrop City Hall – 202 E. Jefferson Ave Bastrop, LA  71220 (open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Estimated restoration times by parish*

*Please note, estimated restoration times reflect when 90% of customers in a given parish are expected to be restored.

Parish	Estimated Restoration
Union Parish	January 31
Jackson Parish	January 31
Ouachita Parish	January 31
Bienville Parish, eastern	January 31
East Carroll Parish	January 31
Madison Parish	January 31
Morehouse Parish	January 31
Richland Parish, northern	January 31
West Carroll Parish	January 31
Winn Parish	January 31

Areas where we expect restoration to last beyond Jan. 31 include:

• In Ouachita Parish: rural areas near Drew, Cheniere, Cadeville

• In Richland Parish: extreme eastern portions of the parish near Poverty Point

• In Jackson Parish: Town of Jonesboro, rural areas near Weston

• In East Carroll Parish: rural areas near Transylvania and Lake Providence

• In Bienville: rural areas near Saline

• In Caldwell: northwest area of the parish

• In Madison: northeast area of the parish

• In West Carroll Parish: rural areas near Pioneer, Epps, and Forrest

We continue to work closely with Commissioner Campbell, Mayor Mitchell, Mayor Ellis, other elected officials and our emergency partners to support customer information centers, warming centers and other critical facilities in our hardest-hit areas. State and federal partners remain engaged and have made resources available to support recovery efforts across the region.

As restoration continues, we ask for your continued patience and your help in keeping our crews safe. Please give them the space they need to do their jobs—for their protection and yours.

Entergy Louisiana will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available at entergy.com/stormcenter.

Make sure your home or business is ready for us to restore your power.

Customers whose neighborhoods have been restored but who are still without power may have damage to electrical equipment attached to their home or business.

We 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 repairs must be made by a qualified electrician before Entergy can restore power. Click here to learn more about the electrical equipment that serves your home.

• Check for damage to your weatherhead, meter base or service entrance.
• If damage is present, contact a licensed electrician to make repairs.
• If equipment appears undamaged, text OUT to 36778 or call 1-800-9OUTAGE (800-968-8243).
• After repairs are completed, call 1-800-ENTERGY (800-368-3749) to request service reconnection.

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 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: entergy.com/stormcenter

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 Outage 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.