Insights > Restoration Update: 9/4/17, 10 a.m.

Restoration Update: 9/4/17, 10 a.m.
By: Texas Editorial Team

09/03/2017

At 10:00 am 22,500 Entergy Texas customers were without power.  Since yesterday morning, we restored more than 9,600 Texas customers of the 192,000 affected by the storm. Many customers have seen multiple outages that we have restored.  Our workers continue to safely restore power as quickly as possible.

Safety considerations after a flood:

Did the water level rise above your electrical outlets but stop below the electric meter?

If you are present when Entergy workers arrive:

  • We will advise you to turn off your main breaker and have repairs made. You will then need to turn your main breaker back on.
  • For your safety, we suggest a qualified electrician inspect electrical equipment inside of the facility or home, even if your city or parish does not require inspection. If the breaker is turned on before such inspections, you may cause personal injury or property damage. 

For customers with property damage:

  • If your property has any water damage, please turn off the electricity at either the main fuse box or circuit breaker.
  • Call a licensed electrician for advice when necessary.
  • Don’t step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker.
  • A licensed electrician may need to inspect your property’s electric wiring before we can restore power to a home or business that has water damage from rain or flood waters.

For customers without property damage:

  • Property owners without storm damage should still be cautious.
  • Look for electrical system damage after power is restored. If you see sparks, broken or frayed wires, or the smell of hot insulation is noticeable, turn off the electricity at either the main fuse box or circuit breaker.

East Region

Jefferson County

Beaumont

There are currently 7,463 customers without power in Beaumont and the surrounding areas.  Approximately 5,000 of those customers without power are still inaccessible due to flooding.  Power was restored to all areas yesterday except for customers served by equipment damaged by flood water, areas that are still flooded and areas impacted by the Amelia substation or Bevil substation outages.  

The majority of work today will be performed by boat and amphibious machines.   Workers are working in Amelia, Bevil, Burrell Wingate, and Concord Road areas and will be back at Boondocks Road to survey conditions.  South county areas of Fannett and La Belle, as well as Bevil Oaks, Pinewood, Countrywood and Northwest Forest, continue to be assessed.

Substation Updates

Work to restore power to the formerly flooded Amelia substation is underway.  Customers impacted by this substation outage include those along North Major Drive to Highway 105, Delaware St. to Barrington Heights, parts of Folsom Dr. and the Amelia area.  At this time, power is estimated to be restored to this area by Thursday, September 7th, provided there is no additional damage found.

Work to restore power to flooded Bevil substation is underway.  Customers impacted by this substation outage include those in the areas north and west of the intersection of Hwy 105 and Major Drive.  If flood waters recede as forecasted, power is estimated to be restored to this area by Friday, September 8th, provided the property is able to take power.

Port Arthur, Mid-County

There are currently 853 customers without power in the Port Arthur and Mid-County areas. Of those customers, 259 are either inaccessible due to flooding, such as Sabine Pass and portions of the El Vista area, or cannot be turned on because equipment may have sustained flood damage. These areas are currently being scouted again to determine if workers can safely restore power to those customers. Airboats fitted with specialized construction equipment and other high water vehicles are being used to restore power to areas that are not reachable by truck.

There are 561 customers in the areas of Stonegate, Landsdown Estates, 9th Ave. at Turtle Creek and the Golf Course area along Jimmy Johnson Blvd that have become accessible and restoration efforts in these areas is underway today. Workers continue to identify and repair or replace underground equipment that was damaged by flooding in these areas. Power is expected to be fully restored to these customers by tomorrow night.

Restoration continues on smaller, isolated outages throughout the Port Arthur, Groves, Nederland, Port Neches and Port Acres areas.  Additional workers, who are specialized in underground restoration, have been deployed and will be assisting in today’s restoration process.

Most customers in the Port Arthur area should be fully restored by tonight, except for customers served by equipment that became damaged by flood water and areas that are still flooded. 

Liberty County

Dayton, Liberty

There are currently 861 customers without power in the Dayton area and 793 of those are due to the Magnolia Ames substation outage. 

The remaining customers without out power are in the Lochshire subdivision who are not able to receive power due to flooded equipment serving the property. Today workers will be changing out that damaged equipment and will restore power to any additional customers that are able to receive power. 

Also today workers will patrol Hwy 563 and FM 2684 by airboat and high water trucks to clear and make repairs as high water recedes and areas become accessible. 

Substation Update

The Magnolia Ames substation outage is causing 793 customers to be without power.  When the substation was energized around 6pm last night, high voltage indicated a problem and the substation had to be powered down. Workers have identified the problem as a piece of equipment on the transmission line between the Raywood substation and the Magnolia Ames substation. Workers will be accessing the area with airboats and high water vehicles to make repairs there today. As repairs are completed workers will restore power to customers who can safely receive it, including the south Liberty area off of Hwy 563 from Hankamer to Liberty. These customers are predicted to be restored today.

Orange County

Orange, Vidor, Bridge City

There are currently 10,575 customers without power in the Orange County area, and approximately 5,376 of those customers are without power due to the two Vidor substations that remain flooded.  In addition to the substations which feed power into neighborhoods, there are also broken poles, damaged transformers, trees on power lines and power lines down. 

Last night workers were able to energize the Cordrey substation in Orange and restored power to 1,500 customers in Little Cypress, the business district on 16th street, Pine Hurst and Sunset.   Workers are now working on the individual power lines and equipment in neighborhoods that are now accessible and will be restoring power to customers who can safely receive it.

All customers in the Orange area should be fully restored by 6:00 pm tomorrow, except for customers served by equipment that became damaged by flood water, areas that are still flooded and areas impacted by the Vidor and Viway substation outages. 

Substation Updates

Severe flooding has impacted the Vidor substation, causing outages for 3,896 customers.  If flood waters recede as forecasted, customers north of IH-10 on Hwy 105 up to Travillo Rd including Pine Forest and Lake View can expect to be restored by Monday, September 11th, provided the property is able to take power. 

Severe flooding has impacted the Viway substation, causing outages for 1,480 customers.  If flood waters recede as forecasted, customers in Rose City, areas south of IH-10 between Hwy 1132 and the Neches River, and the Maple Crest addition North of IH-10 can expect to be restored by Wednesday, September 13th, provided the property is able to take power.

Hardin County, Tyler County

Silsbee, Woodville, Lumberton

Currently there are 1,851 customers without power in Silsbee, Lumberton and the surrounding areas. 

Today workers are assessing damage as flood waters continue to recede.  All customers in the Lumberton and Woodville areas will be restored as they are reported except for customers served by equipment that became damaged by flood water, areas that are still flooded and areas impacted by the McDonald substation outage. 

Substation Update

Work to restore power to the McDonald substation is underway.  Customers impacted by this substation outage include those in north and east Silsbee along Hwy 418 and Hwy 92 north.  At this time we estimate your power will be restored by end of day on Wednesday, September 6th, provided there is no additional flooding.

Chambers County

Winnie, Anahuac

There are 52 customers without power in the Winnie area.  All customers in the Winnie area should be fully restored except for customers served by equipment that became damaged by flood water and areas that are still flooded. 

West Region

Conroe, The Woodlands, Huntsville, Navasota, New Caney, Cleveland

All customers in these areas should be fully restored except for customers served by equipment that became damaged by flood water. 

Entergy has brought additional restoration workers to Texas. As with most restoration efforts, Entergy is focusing on restoring power to essential services first, and then the effort will focus on restoring service to areas where the greatest numbers can be restored fastest. This is how we approach things at this stage:

  • 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.

As with any weather event, please be mindful of the following safety tips:

  • Live wires can be deadly. Stay away from downed power lines. Call 1-800-9OUTAGE or 1-800-968-8243 to report downed or dangling power lines, poles or other damaged equipment.
  • Do not trim trees or remove debris on or near downed power lines. Only power company crews or their contractors should remove trees or limbs touching power lines.
  • Keep away from the immediate areas where crews are working. There is always the danger of moving equipment and the possibility of construction materials, limbs, or overhead wires falling to the ground.
  • If you plan on using a generator for temporary power, get a licensed electrician and disconnect from the utility electric system before hooking up to your home main electric panel.
  • Do not run a generator in a confined space without adequate ventilation.
  • Avoid using candles or other flammable devices to warm your home.
  • Try to stay off the roads. More traffic in bad weather leads to more accidents, including more injuries and fatalities as well as accidents that can damage electrical poles and other equipment, creating outages and impeding the ability of crews to access and repair damage and slowing restoration.

We want to keep you informed and in control. Here is the best way to get information about outages in addition to the View Outage application:

Click here to view our gallery of storm damage and restoration photos.

Tags
Texas  Corporate  Hurricane Harvey  Storm Center 
Texas Editorial Team
Related articles
Entergy surprises customers and spreads holiday joy through annual “Operation Secret Santa” program
This holiday season, Entergy brought smiles to customers with the return of “Operation Secret Santa.” At the Canal Street Customer Care Center, select customers were pleasantly surprised as Santa stepped in to cover their utility bills, thanks to The Power to Care, part of Entergy’s program dedicated to assisting low-income families and households.
Read more
A powerful serve
We have all experienced what it means for someone to come alongside us in our time of need. To know that, in this season of good tidings the times are tough for some—some who need a tangible sign that someone cares.
Read more
2024 in retrospect
As we reminisce about the highlights of 2024, it’s only fitting that we spotlight some of the best and brightest moments for Entergy’s nuclear fleet.  
Read more