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Insights > Entergy Texas is Ready for the 2018 Hurricane Season
Entergy Texas is Ready for the 2018 Hurricane Season
05/29/2018
Hurricane season officially starts June 1, but the Gulf of Mexico is already churning up tropical activity. With slightly above-average activity predicted for the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, Entergy Texas wants you to know it is ready to safely and quickly restore power should a storm strike our area.
“It seems like just yesterday when we were responding to Hurricane Harvey, and while Southeast Texas continues to rebuild from that devastating storm, Entergy Texas stands ready for any future storms that might come our way,” said Stuart Barrett, interim vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas, Inc. “Besides hurricanes, the areas we serve are prone to some of the most severe weather events in the United States, including flooding, tornadoes and even ice storms. That’s why we have a plan of continuous preparation, training and action in place that we refer to as: Operation: Storm Ready.”
Staying Prepared is Key
Staying storm ready is a year-round effort, and it begins with monitoring weather systems around the clock, every day of the year. When there’s a severe weather threat, Entergy uses forecasts and computer models based on experience with past storms to predict an estimated number and duration of outages that could occur. Based on those estimates, Entergy will call on restoration workers from around the country as needed to safely get the power back on as quickly as possible.
Assessing damage, deploying personnel to the right place with the right materials and restoring power are all processes Entergy continually plans for and improves. Recently, employees across the Entergy system completed annual storm-response exercises to make sure company procedures are reviewed and updated prior to the beginning of hurricane season.
“While we hope that no tropical weather events threaten our area, these measures help our employees understand their roles and responsibilities in the event of a major restoration,” Barrett said. “Safety is a core value at Entergy and we want it to be your top priority, too. That’s why we urge you and your families to discuss your personal storm plans and get them in place now.”
Keeping Customers Informed is Essential
Just as important as restoring power is the company’s ability to keep customers informed. Entergy does this in a number of ways:
- An app is available for iPhone or Android at entergyapp.com. Customers can use the app to report outages or check on the status of power at their home or business.
- Entergy’s View Outages website includes maps that show where outages are located and give information about restoration progress.
- Entergy sends and can receive text messages about storm and restoration efforts. Customers can sign up by texting REG to 368374.
- The Entergy Storm Center website has storm safety, preparation and restoration information that is updated throughout the day.
- Operation: Storm Ready is a free downloadable guide that helps customers plan and prepare for weather emergencies.
Social media plays an important role in keeping customers informed, and Entergy places a high priority on keeping its social media sites updated throughout an event. Follow Entergy Texas on Twitter at twitter.com/entergytx and on Facebook at facebook.com/entergytx.
Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 450,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11 billion and more than 13,000 employees.
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Twitter: @EntergyTX
Facebook: Facebook.com/EntergyTX
