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Insights > Entergy Arkansas winter storm update – 2/23/22, noon
Entergy Arkansas winter storm update – 2/23/22, noon
02/23/2022
According to the National Weather Service, a winter storm is expected to impact a large region of the state this afternoon and continue into Thursday. The forecast calls for freezing rain over and ice accumulations in central, western, and northern Arkansas. Wind gusts are predicted throughout the state up to 25 mph today, and up to 20 mph in the northwest region of the state, Thursday night. Entergy Arkansas is closely monitoring weather forecasts as this type of precipitation and wind can create problems for an electric system and make for hazardous driving conditions, slowing restoration. We are prepared for severe weather and have assembled our restoration resources, along with mutual assistance crews from outside the state, to ensure we have the people and resources ready to respond to outages quickly and safely should they occur. Our team will practice social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this may slow restoration work. We recommend customers prepare as well.
For tips and storm updates, visit entergy.com/winterweather.
STORM RESTORATION PROCESS
As the winter storm impacts Arkansas, we will deploy scouts to assess damage. Our scouts will work as quickly and safely as possible, in sometimes very dangerous conditions, as the storm moves across our service area. As damages are being assessed, we will communicate with you the conditions found along with an estimated restoration time and our progress toward restoring your power. While our scouts gather more information on damages, our crews will simultaneously be restoring service where it is deemed safe to do so. We ask for your patience, and please know restoring your power safely and quickly is our top priority.
Please be aware the restoration process can be hampered by the surge of instantaneous electrical demand from appliances (heating units, water heaters, etc.) when service is restored to your location, potentially overloading protective devices on Entergy’s electrical system. To help mitigate this problem, Entergy encourages you to turn off any electrical heaters or electrical appliances that can easily be turned off until power is restored.
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.
- 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’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 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.
