Insights > Entergy Employees Battle Harvey's Flooding

Entergy Employees Battle Harvey's Flooding
By: Corporate Editorial Team

08/31/2017

Flooding is significantly impacting Entergy's ability to restore power to customers in some areas. Several substations, which distribute electric service to many customers over large areas, are experiencing outages due to flooding. Restoration of these locations is also being hampered, as workers are unable to access these areas. When flood waters recede and it is safe to do so, Entergy workers will assess damage and begin restoration of these assets.

As of 6 p.m. on Aug. 31, Entergy has restored more than 128,000 outages since Harvey began impacting our area on Friday. Our workers continue to safely restore power as quickly as possible.

East Region

Jefferson County
Beaumont

There are currently 10,625 customers out in Beaumont and the surrounding areas, down from a high of 15,100 yesterday morning. Nearly half of the customers without power are currently inaccessible due to flooding. Although still hindered by water, workers have been able to assess damages in most areas and begin restoring customers. Assessments continued today (August 31), and additional workers have been brought in from Mississippi and Louisiana.
Workers are attempting to restore equipment feeding portions of the North Major Drive to Highway 105 area as well as the Amelia area. Those customers receive power from Amelia Substation, which is out of service due to flood waters. We assessed the Amelia substation this afternoon (August 31). Workers also worked near the College St. and Gladys St. areas that are without power and expect to restore these areas today (August 31). These areas have power lines down and broken cross arms. Workers made repairs near Ford Park yesterday, and are currently addressing voltage issues in that area. The lift station on Lafin Road was energized yesterday.

Workers continue to energize emergency services while repairing hazardous downed power lines. Trees on power lines are the main cause of outages in the area, as well as broken poles along Eastex Freeway. South County areas of Fannett and La Belle as well as Bevil Oaks, Pinewood, Countrywood and Northwest Forest continue to remain inaccessible due to flooding. In order to continue to serve customers in the Beaumont area, Entergy workers continue to utilize some Beaumont Entergy facilities despite current water supply conditions.

Port Arthur
Mid-County

There are currently 6,321 customers without power in the Port Arthur and Mid-County areas. Approximately 200 customers were restored this morning (August 31), but additional outages continued to be identified. Workers continue to work an outage in Port Arthur, in the Gulfway Dr. area, between Memorial and Twin City Highway. Once that work is completed, approximately 4,500 customers power should be restored. It is expected that those customers will have power today (August 31). Outside of those 4,500 customers, approximately half of the remaining outages are inaccessible due to flooding, including Sabine Pass, which is still not accessible due to a road closure. Workers were able to reach the previously inaccessible area of Taylor Landing and are currently working to restore power. It is expected to have those customers power restored today (August 31). Entergy workers continue to work isolated, smaller outages throughout the Port Arthur, Groves, Nederland, Port Neches and Port Acres areas that are not flooded. In addition to the normal workforce, 100 additional workers have been deployed to assist in the restoration efforts. Additional scouts have arrived and they are currently assisting in the ongoing assessment of damages.

Liberty County
Dayton, Liberty

There are currently 1,008 customers without power in the Dayton area. Approximately 300 of these are due to inaccessibility caused by flooding, and 700 are due to a substation out of service as the equipment needing repair is also inaccessible due to flooding. The 700 customers affected by the substation outage are in the south Liberty area, off of Hwy 563 from Hankamer to Liberty. Flooding is impacting Hwy 1409 and the Day Lake Rd subdivision. Hwy 90 between Liberty and Dayton has been shut down due to flooding, and there is no access to the areas on the other side of the Trinity River. We are sending workers from another area to assess the underground portion of the Lockshire subdivision, which is still flooded and cannot be accessed due to the Arkema plant explosions and Hwy 90 being closed. There are 3 areas in Daisetta now that are inaccessible due to high water. They are CR 2017, CR 2011 and CR 185.

Today (August 31), workers have restored power to 40 customers in Saratoga. The remaining 4 customers are out due to a large tree falling on the line at the end of 2nd Street. Crews are working now to cut the tree and restore the line. We also continue to assess damage on Hwy 563 via boat and helicopter, and workers continue to assess known flooded areas to check for receding water and restore power where they are able to safely do so.

Cleveland

There are currently 2,150 customers without power in the Cleveland area and 91 customers without power in the Splendora area. Floodwaters have receded in Plum Grove, allowing our workers to make repairs in the area today (August 31). There were approximately 20 workers in North and Northwest Cleveland working today to repair damaged power lines. Workers today worked on FM 1725 around the Hillstore area. Repairs have been made to the Splendora downtown area, and workers continue to working in the outlying areas for those customers who can safely take power.

Orange County
Orange, Vidor, Bridge City

The Orange area currently has 25,685 customers without power. Damage in these areas includes broken poles, damaged transformers, power lines down, damaged transmission lines and trees on power lines. Progress was made in Orange, with 4 substations being restored along with 15 main power lines. Utility workers have continued to restore accessible spotted power outages in the Orange, Vidor, and Bridge City areas with an additional 51 workers that arrived today to assist in the restoration. One substation in Orange lost power due to flooding and 3 substations remain out due to transmission lines being damaged. Some areas impacted by the substation outages include downtown, old town, Lamar and Front Street, as well as 16th Street.

In Vidor, approximately 3,500 customers lost power this morning when 2 substations were damaged due to flooding. This water level has risen after the flood gates were open at Dam B, and this continues to impact restoration efforts.
Assessments and restoration efforts are significantly impacted through most of Orange County due to high water and road blockage, preventing workers from reaching customers and essential equipment. Scouting has been delayed, since most roads are impassible due to high water. Additional machinery equipped for flooded areas is enroute. More information will be provided as soon as it becomes available.

Hardin County, Tyler County
Silsbee, Woodville, Lumberton

Currently, there are 5,700 customers without power in Silsbee and the surrounding areas. The McDonald substation on 418 has flooded. There are 44 workers in the field and have servicemen stationed to be able to respond in each town. Our workers were unable to access Lumberton or Kountze today, August 31. There are 6 poles, 6 cross arms, 2 transformers and lines down on Highway 69 and 96. Workers are unable to get to these damages due to flooding and road closures. Outside workers are unable to get to most of these areas at this time due to flooded creeks and water across roads.

There are 492 customers out in Woodville and surrounding areas, with damage assessments 85 percent completed. There are 26 workers in the Wildwood, Village Mills and Spurger areas restoring power. Wildwood and Spurger have been restored. Waters have receded in the City of Chester. Workers are currently working on their power and the plan is to have them restored tonight, August 31.

Chambers County
Winnie, Anahuac

There are currently 491 customers without power in the Winnie area. Power was restored today (August 31) on Jerry Raymond and Wallisville Turtle Bayou Road. Workers were able to remove tree damage to Entergy facilities along I-10 in Anahuac and the Chamber County Golf line. Restoration repairs will be completed in this area Friday, September 1. Airboats were able to patrol areas with high water and additional areas of Winnie the Big Hill, Smith Point, and Hamshire areas will be patrolled Friday September 1.

West Region

Montgomery County
Conroe

6 customers remain without power in the Conroe and surrounding areas. Restoration is expected to be today (August 31) to all customers who can safely take power.

New Caney
There are 1,711 customers currently without power in the New Caney area. Roman Forrest is 95 percent restored, with the remaining 5 percent still inaccessible due to high water conditions. The Sorters subdivision is 80 percent restored, and the remaining 20 percent of the area is now accessible. Workers have been assessing damages in that area today (August 31). The Peach Creek subdivision has been 100 percent restored and Kings Colony is 95 percent restored. The Kings Colony subdivision is now accessible and workers are working to repair damages in that area. The Wood Branch subdivision is without power and has been inaccessible due to high water conditions, but workers will reevaluate the area today (August 31).

Portions of FM1485 east still remain inaccessible due to high water conditions and road obstructions. Workers plan to reassess that area today, with plans to have power restored by Friday, September 1 if accessible.

The Woodlands
There are 250 customers without power in The Woodlands and South Montgomery County areas. The majority of outages in The Woodlands area are due to inaccessibility or equipment that was damaged by or is submerged from the floods. While water on a one street may have receded, the equipment that is causing the outage and needs to be repaired may be in an area that is still not accessible. Customers may also see workers in their area who are scouts. These workers determine what type of equipment and crew will be needed to make repairs. Places inaccessible due to flooding include areas off I-45 and 242 near River Road and in Forest Hills, and southern parts of The Woodlands around Trace Creek and Tanglebrush. Workers are currently making repairs, as well as scouting for areas where water has receded enough to begin work.

100 customers are without power between Gosling and Tangle Brush, near Torch Pine Ct, Tallowberry, Wavy Oaks, and Wandering Oaks, due to flooding. There are additional outages throughout the Trace Creek subdivision, including Yewleaf, Tallowberry, Simon Lake Lane and West Trace Creek, which are due to submerged transformers, affecting approximately 110 customers. Crews are currently working around Wild Youpon in the Trace Creek. It is possible all customers in Trace Creek may have power by the end of today (August 31). Power is restored to 75 percent of Forest Hills, which was out due to flooding. Forty customers are still without power in Forest Hills, and contractor crews are on location replacing poles and transformers. Possible restoration to all of Forest Hills by end of day (August 31). Power was restored to around 100 customers in Grogans Point, who experienced outages due to post storm equipment failure. Remaining customers in Grogans Point, mostly around Tranquil Glade, are without power due to workers being unable to access our equipment. Repairs should be complete today (August 31) pending access to facilities.

A small number commercial customers are without power in South Conroe at I-45 and the San Jacinto River, due to submerged poles that are completely inaccessible until the water recedes. This area will take the longest to fully restore and restoration time will be provided once a full assessment can be made. Power was restored to a San Jacinto River Authority water well, which had lost service due to a bad pad mount.

Walker County
Huntsville

All customers who have had power out due to Harvey have been restored. The Huntsville area currently has no cases or customers out of power resulting from Harvey.

Grimes County
Navasota

All customers in the Navasota area are 100 percent restored. Workers from this area are now travelling to assist restoration efforts in other impacted areas.

Entergy has brought additional restoration workers to Texas. As with most restoration efforts, Entergy is focusing on restoring power to essential services first, and then the effort will focus on restoring service to areas where the greatest numbers can be restored fastest. This is how we approach things at this stage:

  • Essential services such as hospitals, nursing homes, fire and police departments, and water systems are at the head of the restoration list, along with our equipment that supplies electricity to large numbers of customers.
  • Then we will concentrate our resources on getting the greatest number of customers back the fastest.
  • We cannot use our bucket trucks until sustained winds are less than 30 mph, but we can still begin restoring service to customers by closing circuit breakers, rerouting power and other actions.

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, 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 home main electric panel.
  • Do not run a generator in a confined space without adequate ventilation.
  • Avoid using candles or other flammable devices to warm your home.
  • Try to stay off the roads. 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.

Imminent flooding or evacuation:

  • Before leaving, prepare your home by turning off your electricity at the main fuse or breaker and your water at the main valve. Also check for and secure objects that could cause damage if blown by high winds.
  • When power is restored, look for electrical system damage. If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or notice the smell of hot insulation, turn off the electricity at either the main fuse box or circuit breaker. You may need a licensed electrician to assess your equipment and assure safety.
  • If it looks as though water may enter your home, it’s a good idea to open the main breaker in your electrical breaker box in order to cut off power.

 

After a flood:

Did the water level rise above your electrical outlets but stop below the electric meter?

If you are present when Entergy workers arrive:

  • We will advise you to turn off your main breaker and have repairs made. You will then need to turn your main breaker back on.
  • For your safety, we suggest a qualified electrician inspect electrical equipment inside of the facility or home, even if your city or parish does not require inspection. If the breaker is turned on before such inspections, you may cause personal injury or property damage. 

For customers with property damage:

  • If your property has any water damage, please turn off the electricity at either the main fuse box or circuit breaker.
  • Call a licensed electrician for advice when necessary.
  • Don’t step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker.
  • A licensed electrician may need to inspect your property’s electric wiring before we can restore power to a home or business that has water damage from rain or flood waters.

For customers without property damage:

  • Property owners without storm damage should still be cautious.
  • Look for electrical system damage after power is restored. If you see sparks, broken or frayed wires, or the smell of hot insulation is noticeable, turn off the electricity at either the main fuse box or circuit breaker.

We want to keep you informed and in control. Here is the best way to get information about outages in addition to the View Outage application:

Tags
Texas  Storm Center  Employees  Flood  Hurricane Harvey  Restoration 
Corporate Editorial Team
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