Insights > Entergy Arkansas storm update – 4/4/23, 11 a.m.

Entergy Arkansas storm update – 4/4/23, 11 a.m.

By: Arkansas Editorial Team

04/04/2023

Restoration continues, including in the Walnut Valley neighborhood of Little Rock.

Entergy understands how the devastation from tornadoes in the Little Rock, Jacksonville, Sherwood and Wynne areas on Friday, March 31 has impacted your life.

Consistent with our commitment to powering life for our customers every day, crews continue to work this catastrophic event, rebuilding the system with thicker, stronger poles and in some cases, concrete poles, to improve system infrastructure and make it more resilient.

Crews are working in Ground Zero where the tornadoes struck. Much of the restoration process is taking place in rear lots where crews must clear and work around storm debris to access the lines and use backyard machines to get equipment in confined areas. In some cases, workers must carry the equipment into the yards and manually climb poles to restore power. Specialized equipment such as helicopters, backyard machines, excavators and bull dozers are being used to assist with storm restoration efforts in the hardest hit areas.

Other workers are walking through damaged neighborhoods to determine the number of customers who won’t be able to be restored because of structural damage. So far that number has reached more than 1,500 customers.

About 6,400 customers remain without power after, knocking out power to more than 56,000 customers.

The weather forecast calls for more severe weather today and continuing into Wednesday, April 5, which could cause delays in restoration and possibly more outages.

More than 1,500 utility poles, 435 transformers and nearly 2,000 spans of wire were damaged or destroyed.

IMPORTANT CUSTOMER INFORMATION

Entergy Arkansas has staffed two Customer Information Centers (CICs) for customers needing information regarding their electric service or accounts.

In Little Rock, customer service representatives will be available to answer questions and provide account assistance this week at the Little Rock Family Assistance Center hosted by the city at Immanuel Baptist City Center, 315 N. Shackleford Rd., from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

In Wynne, representatives for Entergy Arkansas will also be on-site beginning Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at the Wynne Technology Center, 1790 Falls Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Customers who have structures that are destroyed and cannot take power are asked to inform Entergy by calling 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749). More information regarding options for your electric service has been posted on our Entergy Storm Center.

Some customers still without power may receive messages regarding updated restoration times as more details become clearer. As always, customers can check the outage map for their specific location at entergy.com/viewoutages. About 90 percent of customers who can safely take power to their homes and businesses are expected to be restored by late Thursday night, if not before.

We will continue to provide additional estimated restoration times in specific areas that remain without power. We appreciate your continued patience as we work diligently to safely restore power and build back a more resilient system.

County/Town Information

(4/4/23; 11:00 a.m.)

Pulaski County and Surrounding Areas

Entergy crews are continuing safe restoration of service today. As of 8 a.m., power has been restored to over 42,000 customers. Damage assessment is 100% complete in the affected areas. Damage includes 750 broken poles, 860 spans of downed power lines and 140 transformers needing to be replaced. Over 1,100 line and vegetation workers are working to safely restore power to West Markham, Cammack Village, Reservoir, River Ridge, Walnut Valley, Pleasant Valley, and Midtown. Additional personnel and resources are enroute to help with restoration efforts. Entergy expects most customers that can safely receive service to be restored by Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 11 p.m. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.

• Reservoir District: Entergy has 45 Line crews and additional 40 vegetation crews working to repair multiple broken poles in this area. We restored 550 customers in the Reservoir and Breckinridge areas and 50 in the Kings Mountain Drive area near Immanuel Baptist Church.
• Rock Creek: 35 Line Crews and additional 30 vegetation crews are in this area repairing multiple broken poles and several spans. There were 360 customers restored in the Rock Creek area.
• Cammack Village: 38 Line Crews and 32 vegetation crews are working to clear debris and repair multiple broken poles and multiple spans of downed wire. Repairs are taking additional time here due to the amounts of vegetative debris that is creating accessibility issues. Crews are utilizing specialized equipment to expedite safe restoration. We restored 550 customers in the Cammack
• Pleasant Valley/St Charles: 32 Line Crews and additional 18 vegetation crews are working to clear debris and repair multiple broken poles and downed wire. There were 100 customers restored in the Eastern Pleasant Valley area.

Jacksonville

Damage assessment has been completed in the Jacksonville area. Currently 360 customers remain without power. Entergy has additional resources in the area to shorten outage duration as much as possible. As of 8 a.m., April 4, 2023, crews are assigned to the following streets in the Jacksonville area: North Elm, Hickory, North Oak, Victory Circle, E Center St., Pine St., S. Spring St., Yellow Stone Dr., Melrose Dr., Oak Forest Dr., High Meadow Dr., Riverwood Dr., Pinnacle Dr., Highland Dr., School Dr., Stone St., Dupree Dr., S. Redmond Rd., Eastview Dr., Heather St., Nina St., S. James St., Gina Cir., Davis Ct., and N Redmond Rd. Entergy expects 90% of customers who can safely receive service to be restored by Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 11 p.m. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.

Sherwood

Damage assessment has been completed in the Sherwood area. Currently 312 customers remain without power. Entergy has additional resources in the area to shorten outage duration as much as possible. As of 8 a.m., April 4, 2023, crews are working outages along the north side of Kiehl Ave., and the east side of Indian Head Lake. Entergy expects 90% of customers who can safely receive service to be restored by Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 11 p.m. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.

Cross County and Surrounding Areas

Of the 4532 customers in Cross County who lost power during this event, approximately 1752 remain without power.  Damage assessments are complete. There are 601 spans of downed power lines, 414 broken poles, 116 damaged transformers and 358 cross arms identified in the Wynne area..

The storm caused extensive damage to the transmission grid in the area and crews continue to work safely to repair the damaged transmission lines. Crews will continue to work to repair services throughout the city. Major rebuild projects continue along Morningside Drive, Sunset Drive, Airpark Road, Languille Ave., and Washington Ave. 

Transmission grid repairs are expected to be completed and the Wynne Industrial substation is expected to be restored on or before midnight Tuesday, April 4, 2023. This will allow power to be restored to about 700 customers in the northern portion of Entergy’s service territory in Wynne.

Approximately 223 Entergy workers and contracted resources are engaged in Wynne to safely restore power to impacted customers. Entergy Arkansas expects most customers who can safely receive service to be restored by Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 11 p.m. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.

Parkin

Damage assessments are complete. We have identified 125 broken poles, 200 spans of wire down, and 90 damaged transformers. Crews continue to work along Highway 64 west of Parkin and along Highway 184 north of Parkin.  Most customers who can safely take service are expected to be restored by Tuesday, April 4, at 11 p.m. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.

Shelters Opened for Customers

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with our impacted customers and communities. While crews work to restore power, Entergy Arkansas urges customers to keep safety first.

Here are some tips to keep you safe while we restore your power.

• 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.
• Check on seniors, who can be particularly susceptible to extreme temperatures.
• Try to stay off the roads in affected areas. More traffic in bad weather leads to more accidents, including more injuries and fatalities as well as accidents that can damage electrical poles and other equipment, creating outages and impeding the ability of crews to access and repair damage and slowing restoration.

We want to keep you informed and in control. The best way to get information about outages is via Entergy Arkansas’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 Arkansas Storm Center to stay informed on our restoration progress.
• Sign up for text alerts. From your cell phone, text R E G to 368374, or visit Entergytext.com.
• Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter @EntergyARK.
• Follow updates in your local news media, like radio, television, and newspapers. 

Tags

Arkansas  Storm Center 

Arkansas Editorial Team