Insights > Entergy System Hurricane Delta Restoration Update – 10/11/20 @ 9 a.m.

Entergy System Hurricane Delta Restoration Update – 10/11/20 @ 9 a.m.

By: Corporate Editorial Team

10/11/2020

Lake Charles, La.

Power has been restored to more than 50% of customers impacted by Hurricane Delta across our service area.

We continue to assess damage to our system in some areas.

• We know you want your power restored and the process began as soon as it was safe to do so following the storm.
• In those harder to reach areas, we use advanced technology, such as infrared cameras, drones and satellite imagery to assess damage by foot, vehicles, airboats, high-water vehicles and helicopters.
• Damage assessments could take up to three days. Our scouts are assessing damage to determine the exact cause of your outage and how long it will take to correct the problem.
• While we are assessing damage, we will continue restoring service where it is safe to do so. These efforts are done in parallel.

Customers may see extended power outages given the additional need for our crews to follow COVID-19 precautionary measures, hardest hit areas may experience outages for up to 10 days. In addition, restoration may be hampered by flooding, blocked access or other obstacles.

Outage information as of 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 11:

Our crews, contractors and mutual-assistance partners are prepared to work long hours restoring service to customers as safely and as quickly as possible. We continue acquiring more resources for our restoration teams.

• As of 6 a.m., we’ve activated approximately 13,600 workers for storm restoration. These resources include company employees, contractors and mutual aid resources numbering approximately 300 in Arkansas, 2,500 in Mississippi, 9,050 in Louisiana and 1,600 in Texas.
• These resources may be relocated across Entergy’s service territory as needed to restore service to affected customers.
• The transmission team is patrolling damage by ground and air to continue assessing the impact following Hurricane Delta.

A total of 209 substations and 160 transmission lines saw an outage as a result of Hurricane Delta. As of Saturday afternoon, transmission had returned 93 substations and 41 lines to service.

As of 9 p.m. Saturday, distribution system damage included 638 poles, 192 transformers and 1,668 spans of wire.

Louisiana

• Crews have restored 70.27% of customers affected in Baton Rouge. Heavy vegetation and services in backyards continue to pose accessibility challenges for crews.
• In North Louisiana, crews are finding instances where flooding and ground saturation has uprooted trees and high winds have caused limbs to fall onto our lines and electric equipment.
• In Winnsboro, a substation has flooded, and crews are working to perform field switching to restore some of the customers that are served from that station.

Texas

Crews have begun to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. We expect most customers in the Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange areas to be restored by Wednesday and all by Friday. We expect most customers in the Silsbee and Winnie areas to be restored by end of day Sunday.

Mississippi

The remnants of Hurricane Delta caused widespread power outages throughout our service territory Saturday. Crews have begun to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. We expect to restore power to all customers that can safely receive it today in Copiah, Grenada, Jefferson, Lincoln, Madison, Rankin and Washington counties, as well as in Jackson and McComb.

Hurricane Laura/Delta Update

• At this time, we believe Hurricane Delta caused minimal impact to the ongoing restoration of remaining facilities out of services following Hurricane Laura.
• Since Hurricane Laura caused significant damage to the transmission system across Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas, Entergy crews have rebuilt most of the transmission system affected by Hurricane Laura.
• Hurricane Delta caused outages to the transmission system in Southwest Louisiana. Initial assessments indicate minimal transmission damage, which will allow for facilities to be restored much more quickly than in Hurricane Laura.

Restoration Process

• Based on historical restoration times, customers in the direct path of a Category 2 hurricane can experience outages of up to 10 days. While 90% of customers will be restored sooner, customers should plan for the possibility of being in the hardest-hit area.
• For areas experiencing impacts equivalent to that of a Category 1, customers should prepare to be without power out for up to seven days. Every storm is unique, and once the storm passes, we will keep customer informed regarding restoration efforts.
• Our crews, contractors and mutual-assistance partners are prepared to work long hours after the storm passes, restoring service to customers as safely and as quickly as possible. We continue acquiring more resources to restore service, including adding more transmission restoration workers in anticipation of damage to our high-voltage systems.
• Our logistics team acquired hotel rooms and are prepared to move mobile sleeping units to the affected areas to house the thousands of restoration workers coming to help restore service for our customers. Logistical arrangements are being made in accordance with COVID-19 precautionary measures.
• Following a storm, we deploy scouts to assess damage to determine the exact cause of your outage and how long it will take to correct the problem. Assessments could take up to three days to complete. However, while we are assessing, we are also restoring service where it is safe to do so.
• As safety is always the highest of priorities, and as we assess the damage, we’ll begin restoring service where it is deemed safe to do so.
• Our employees are our greatest assets; we will keep our workers safe during a storm response.
  • Keeping our workers safe from worsening weather conditions may limit our ability to restore service as quickly as we’d all like.
  • We are committed to keeping our employees safe and sheltered during dangerous periods caused by high winds, flooding and other severe storm conditions.
• For strong hurricanes, we evacuate from the predicted landfall area, but quickly return as soon as conditions are safe to begin restoration.
• Facing severe weather can be extremely challenging; we’re committed to minimizing the effects of a bad storm.
  • Weather forecasts and computer models based on knowledge from past storms are used to predict the estimated number of customers without power and the number of days needed to restore power.
  • Power is restored faster in areas with less damage. Some of the hardest-hit areas may take longer, which should be factored into your personal storm plan. Remember, safety first.
  • Once the storm passes, we can fully assess the damage and will have more information to share.

Hurricane Laura/Delta Update

• Hurricane Delta comes six weeks following Hurricane Laura hit the Louisiana coastline, where landfall the storms spanned less than 15 miles apart.
• Entergy Louisiana had restored power to all accessible customers in Southwest Louisiana who could safely receive it after Hurricane Laura devastated the region and catapulted the company into its largest restoration effort. We are currently assessing damage due to Hurricane Delta.
• Since Hurricane Laura caused significant damage to the transmission system across Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas, Entergy crews have rebuilt most of the transmission system affected by Hurricane Laura. We’ll continue assessing damage caused by Hurricane Delta.

Stay Informed

When restoration begins, customers may experience delays when calling our telephone centers, especially from unaffected areas, due to overloading of the system with outage calls. We encourage customers to use these other means to interact with us during restoration:

• Download our free app for your smartphone.
• Sign up for text alerts by texting REG to 36778 and have your account number and ZIP code handy. The registration pattern is as follows including spaces: REG (account number) (ZIP code). Once registered, text OUT to 36778 to report an outage. You can also report an outage online as a guest.
• Visit our View Outages page.
• Follow us on Twitter.com/entergy or Facebook.com/entergy.
• Call us at 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243).
• Follow updates in your local news media, like radio, television and newspapers.

Unfortunately, attempts to scam customers appeared after Hurricane Laura. We caution customers to be aware of unscrupulous attempts to swindle our customers during Hurricane Delta recovery.

• Entergy never demands immediate payment from customers over the phone. You shouldn't give your personal information to strangers.
• If a call sounds suspicious, hang-up and call 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) to speak directly with an Entergy customer service representative.
• If you believe you are a victim of this scam, notify the proper authorities, such as the local police or the state attorney general's office.

Customer Safety

You should stay safe as we restore service outages caused by Hurricane Delta.

• There is no way to know if a downed line is energized or not, so if you see one, keep your distance and call 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243).
• Stay safe and away from downed power lines and flooded areas. Do not walk in standing water and do not venture into areas of debris, since energized and dangerous power lines may not be visible.
• Customers choosing to use portable generators should do so in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Customers must never connect a generator directly to a building’s wiring without a licensed electrician disconnecting the house wiring from Entergy’s service. Otherwise, it can create a safety hazard for the customer or our linemen working to restore power. And it may damage the generator or the house wiring.
  • Position generators outdoors and well away from any structure. Running a generator inside any enclosed or partially enclosed structure can lead to dangerous and often fatal levels of carbon monoxide. Make sure a generator has 3 to 4 feet of clear space on all sides and above it to ensure adequate ventilation. Keep generators positioned outside and away from doors, windows and vents so exhaust does not enter your home/business or a neighboring home/business.

Hurricane Delta Restoration Photos and Videos

Tags

Storm Center  Hurricane Delta 

Corporate Editorial Team