Insights > Entergy System Hurricanes Ida/Nicholas Update – 9/15/21 @ 9 a.m.

Entergy System Hurricanes Ida/Nicholas Update – 9/15/21 @ 9 a.m.

By: Corporate Editorial Team

09/15/2021

Hurricane Nicholas has been downgraded to a tropical depression. The storm should slowly cross southern Louisiana today. Heaviest rainfall should occur across south Louisiana to the Florida panhandle through Thursday. We expect 6 to 10 inches of rainfall from southeast Louisiana eastward, with some locations receiving up to 12 inches.

Our workforce has restored 95%, or 900,000 of the 948,000 total customers who lost power due to Hurricane Ida.

We have restored 93%, or 649,000 of Entergy Louisiana customers who lost power due to Hurricane Ida. 

Continued storms today could adversely affect Hurricane Ida restoration. In some of the hardest-hit areas affected by Hurricane Ida, including lower Jefferson Parish, river parishes and bayou region, our teams are encountering extensive damage that will require rebuilding the system, as opposed to just a restoration. We estimate a restoration time of Sept. 29 for the heaviest-damaged areas.

Our crews will stay safe as Nicholas affects Ida restoration. They will shelter in either their trucks or another safe site if lightning is within 10 miles of a work location. In addition, our teams cannot put their buckets in the air when winds are greater than 30 mph. Please know, once conditions improve, we will resume our work to restore power quickly and safely.

In some of the hardest-hit areas affected by Hurricane Ida, including lower Jefferson Parish, river parishes and bayou region, our teams are encountering extensive damage that will require rebuilding the system. We estimate Sept. 29 to restore the heaviest-damage areas.

Hurricane Ida outage information at 6:30 a.m. included:

Hurricane Nicholas outage information at 6:30 a.m. included 18,000 customer outages in Texas and Louisiana. The remaining 1,000 Texas customers without power should be restored by 4 p.m. today.

Nicholas caused power outages for 12,000 in Louisiana (corrected as of noon Sept. 15). We will provide estimated times of restoration as damage assessment is completed.

As of 11 a.m. Sept. 14, we had returned 218 of the 226 affected transmission substations and 192 of 211 affected transmission lines.

Hurricane Ida restoration continues where it is safe to do so and where power can be received.

Visit our dedicated Hurricane Ida restoration website to get the most up-do-date estimated times of restoration.

Maps with Hurricane Ida power estimated restoration times can be viewed here for the following areas: River Parishes, Tangipahoa Parish, Washington Parish, Livingston Parish, St. Helena Parish, Lafourche Parish and Terrebonne parishes.

These restoration dates represent most customers who can safely accept power and a few customers in the most affected areas could still be without power for longer. These estimates are subject to change as we continue with restoration work, and we will issue updates as we learn more. Also, it is important to note that while crews can perform some restoration activities on the ground during certain weather conditions, work in the air from bucket trucks cannot be performed in wind conditions of 30 mph or greater.

Stay Informed

Outage/Restoration Information

In some of the hardest-hit areas affected by Hurricane Ida, including lower Jefferson Parish, river parishes and bayou region, our teams are encountering extensive damage that will require rebuilding the system, as opposed to just a restoration. An estimated restoration time of Sept. 29, for the areas that received the heaviest damage from Ida, was provided to affected customers.

Close to 80% of the 30,000-plus distribution poles that run through neighborhoods and supply power homes and businesses represent those lost in the hardest-hit portions of southeast Louisiana.

Should we experience further connectivity and other associated issues, there could be technical difficulties that may lead to delays in power status available through our outage reporting tools, including the View Outages map, mobile app and texting “STAT” to receive your outage status.

We ask that if you are aware of an inconsistency between the reported status and power availability at a location, please notify us through one of the following options:

• Texting “OUT” to 36778. Using myentergy.com or our mobile app.
• Dialing 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) to report your outage to the automated system or speak to a representative.

Customers must have a registered myEntergy account to sign up for outage texting. If you were signed up for outage texting before we transitioned to the myEntergy portal last year, you must create a myEntergy account before re-registering for texting services.

If you attempt to register or report an outage via text and receive a message stating “Entergy: Unauthorized User” or a message stating “We’re sorry but this phone number isn't authorized for two-way texting. To register, please go to myentergy.com,” this means you don’t have an active myEntergy account.

To register for myEntergy, visit myentergy.com and select “Sign Up”. For added security purposes, the first time you log in to myEntergy, you will be asked to reset your username and password and confirm your account preferences.

• Once registered, you can text “REG” to 36778 to sign-up for outage texting. The registration pattern is as follows including spaces: REG (account number) (ZIP code).
• At that point you’ll be able to report an outage at your location by texting “OUT” to 36778.

View Outages is a visual representation of the state of the grid.

• The green and red lines are intended to provide users with indications that line segments are generally either energized or de-energized.
• However, as our crews restore power from events like Hurricane Ida it is important to understand that there is a high volume of electrical-system switching activity that may result in data latencies impacting updates to View Outage Maps.
• View Outage maps should not be relied upon for detailed planning purposes. For planning purposes, users should rely upon the location- specific information provided by signing into their myEntergy account.
• Green lines indicate that the line segment is energized, or power is flowing. Red lines indicate that that line segment is de-energized, or no power is flowing.
• It’s important to note that while the main line may be energized, the map doesn’t show power flow all the way to the home. There could be damage or other issues between the energized line and the home such as transformers, downed wires from the pole to the home or damage with the meter or within the location itself. The map relies on software to predict the location of outages; actual outages may vary from those predicted.

We caution customers to be aware of unscrupulous attempts to swindle our customers during storm 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.

View Hurricane Ida Damage and Restoration Photos and Videos Here

Customer Safety and Information

You should stay safe as we restore service outages caused by tropical weather.

• 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 electric 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. Generator safety tips are available here.

We are suspending service disconnections and waiving late fees for non-payment for customers affected by Hurricane Ida and offering flexible customer payment arrangements for those customers. Customers can visit myEntergy.com for more information.

Bills that customers are receiving now likely reflect usage from August. Customers affected by Ida will not receive disconnect notices, be assessed late fees or be disconnected due to a late payment posting. All Entergy customers can make payments and receive bills online. Entergy will receive and post payments.

On top of restoring power to your homes and businesses, we are here to work with you on payment assistance, arranging billing programs or answering other questions customers may have. Call us at 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. for assistance or visit Payment Assistance.

For our level billing or equal pay customers: Your bill will include zero usage during the time your power is out; however, it will continue to reflect the previous 12 month’s rolling average usage. We understand that this payment amount may be a burden right now. We want you to know we are here to work with you on payment assistance.

If you are on a deferred payment agreement, your bill will include zero usage for the period your power is out; however, it will continue to reflect your agreed upon deferred payment amount. If you need additional bill payment assistance, we are happy to work with you.

For auto-pay customers, if your situation has changed and you need to adjust your auto-draft option, contact us and we can help.

Customers may receive automated billing payment reminders that processed prior to, and during, Hurricane Ida’s impact. During this period of restoration, customers in the impacted area will not be disconnected due to non-payment.

Customers may receive an electronic or paper bill. This bill is for usage that occurred before Hurricane Ida. We have taken measures to ensure that we aren’t estimating usage based on historical information while customers are without power.

Due to the recent devastation from Hurricane Ida, we are experiencing delays in receiving and processing payments sent to Entergy via USPS and other mail courier services. This is impacting all Entergy customers. We encourage all customers to make digital payments online to ensure payments are received and applied timely. Please visit myentergy.com/s/makepayment for convenient digital payment options to avoid paying for postage.

Responding simultaneously to a major storm and COVID-19 could affect our response:

• Along with standard storm preparations, Entergy employees continue navigating the COVID-19 pandemic by taking additional steps. These include traveling separately if necessary, adjusting crew staging locations and greater use of drones.
• Due to the additional measures crews must take, restoration may take longer, especially where there are widespread outages. Additionally, crews will continue to practice social distancing and we ask that customers do the same. For their safety and yours, please stay away from work zones.

Our Hurricane Ida restoration adds to our experience restoring electrical power to our customers affected by major storms.

• The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the busiest season ever recorded with 30 named storms. Entergy found itself in the cone of uncertainty for seven named storms during last year’s hurricane season. Five named storms hit Louisiana last year, making it the most active storm season ever for the state.
• We demonstrated our restoration ability last season by assembling large restoration workforces to quickly restore power to our customers.
• We are ready to take appropriate action before, during and after severe weather.
• Based on previous storm responses and annual storm exercises, we are constantly updating and improving our operations related to storm damage restoration.
• Operation: Storm Ready is our internal process of continuous planning, preparation and training. And an early step, when facing a storm, is to prepare to bring in extra personnel to support the effort.
• We have worked to storm-harden our system. From aggressive preventive maintenance programs to using steel transmission structures near the coast, elevating substations that might flood and installing “isolation” devices on lines to reduce outages, our goal is always to restore power safely and quickly.

Restoration Process

• Our current Hurricane Ida workforce stands at 18,400. At its peak, our workforce numbered nearly 27,000 who came from 41 states including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
• We have nearly 400 workers in Texas who will complete Hurricane Nicholas restoration today.

Hurricane Ida Information Hub

View Hurricane Ida Damage and Restoration Photos and Videos Here

Tags

Louisiana  Texas  Storm Center  Entergy System  Hurricane Ida  Hurricane Nicholas 

Corporate Editorial Team