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Insights > Preparing for Storms Laura and Marco
Preparing for Storms Laura and Marco
08/23/2020
Tropical Storms Laura and Marco could affect the Entergy service territory and its customers this week. We encourage you to finalize your preparations as these storms approach. Two simultaneous systems in the Gulf of Mexico is a rare occurrence. But because Entergy response personnel stay storm-ready year-round, and we have experience facing back-to-back threats, we are ready to safely and quickly restore service to our customers whose power may be disrupted.
We are assembling our restoration teams to help our Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas operating companies. We are relocating company personnel within the service territory and contacting offsite contractors and mutual assistance utilities to provide restoration workers to help restore power to our customers.
Responding to back-to-back storms and COVID-19 could affect our response:
- As we have done historically, we will treat our response to these two storms as one event.
- As we do for any restoration, we will focus first on restoring emergency services. Then we will prioritize our work to restore the greatest number of customers. Additionally, we will prioritize restoration for those customers who may lose power during the first storm and have not been restored if the second affects the same area.
- Customers could see multiple outages from both storms. We are prepared to do as much restoration as possible during the short window between the storms, but some customers may remain out through both events. We encourage customers to plan accordingly for that possibility.
- Rain from the first storm could saturate and soften the ground, making the second storm extremely impactful by more easily knocking down trees and utility poles.
- Along with standard storm preparations, Entergy employees are navigating the COVID-19 pandemic by taking additional steps. These include traveling separately when possible, adjusting crew staging locations and increasing the 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.
Safety is our core value and always comes first. Then, restoring power is the top priority and first order of business. Following a storm, we deploy scouts to assess damage. It may take up to three days before we know how long until power is restored.
We continuously keep our communities informed throughout a storm using the following channels:
- Download our free app for your smartphone at entergy.com/app.
- Sign up for text alerts or text REG to 36778. Once registered, text OUT to 36778 to report an outage. You can also report an outage online as a guest.
- Visit the Entergy Storm Center website and our View Outages page.
- Follow us on Twitter.com/entergy or Facebook.com/entergy.
- Call us at 800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243).
- Follow updates in your local news media, like radio, television and newspapers.
