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Insights > Louisiana Storm Team Ready to Respond to Any Impacts from Zeta
Louisiana Storm Team Ready to Respond to Any Impacts from Zeta
10/28/2020
Entergy’s Louisiana storm team is ready to respond to any impacts from Hurricane Zeta.
Crews have finalized pre-storm preparations and have been strategically positioned at locations in south Louisiana that will allow for a safe and quick response. The company will deploy scouts to assess damages along with tree trimmers and line workers to begin clearing debris and restoring power once conditions allow.
High winds, tidal surges, isolated tornadoes and inland heavy rainfall are expected across southeastern Louisiana, with the main threats being isolated tornadoes, occasional to frequent lightning, and damaging winds in the strongest squalls.
We encourage customers to remain storm ready and keep safety at the forefront during this event.
Customers should stay away from downed power lines and electric equipment and report it immediately by calling 1-800-9OUTAGE (800-968-8243). Do not walk in standing water and do not venture into areas of debris, since energized and dangerous power lines may not be visible.
For our natural gas customers, if you smell natural gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and leave the area immediately. Do not operate electrical switches. Call the gas company from a nearby building and do not re-enter until it is safe to do so.
Also, 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 those working to restore power.
Customers can find additional preparedness tips on the Entergy Storm Center.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, crews will practice social distancing while in the field, and Entergy asks that customers do the same. For the safety of crews and customers, please stay away from work zones. If there is a need to report a service problem, customers should call 1-800-ENTERGY.
The Restoration Process
Here is how we restore power following a storm:
- 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.
- You may see trucks, other vehicles and workers lined up while we process them into our system, taking inventory of equipment and personnel and giving a complete safety orientation.
- Repairs begin with major lines to the substations along with the lines and equipment serving neighborhoods, businesses and homes.
- Service lines to individual homes and businesses will be restored last because fewer customers are involved, and in the case of fewer outages spread over larger areas, it often takes more time to get power back on for them.
- Significant flooding and other accessibility challenges due to the storm will affect our ability to reach some areas of our territory and could delay restoration in those communities.
- When restoration starts, keep in mind that if you don’t see us working near you, we may be working on another part of the electrical system that you can’t see but must be repaired to get power to you.
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