Insights > Texas Restoration Update: 9/3/17, 2 p.m.

Texas Restoration Update: 9/3/17, 2 p.m.
By: Texas Editorial Team

09/03/2017

There are currently transmission line outages across the Entergy Texas service territory as well as substations that are still under water, which is causing outages for several thousand customers.  As floodwaters recede and large transmission lines are repaired, estimated times of restoration will become clearer. Please know that we are working as quickly as possible to restore power in areas we can access.  By end of day Sunday, September 3rd, we will provide an update on how long it will take to restore your power.

At 2:00 pm 24,676 Entergy Texas customers were without power.  Our workers continue to safely restore power as quickly as possible.

East Region

Jefferson County

Beaumont

There are currently 7,156 customers without power in Beaumont and the surrounding areas.  Approximately 5,000 of those customers without power are still inaccessible due to flooding.  

Finalizing a plan to address the formerly flooded Amelia substation is underway.  Customers impacted by this substation outage will receive an estimated restoration time today, including those along North Major Drive to Highway 105, Delaware St. to Barrington Heights, parts of Folsom Dr. and the Amelia area.        

Finalizing a plan to address flooded Bevil substation is underway.  Customers impacted by this substation outage will receive an estimated restoration time today, including those in the areas north and west of the intersection of Hwy 105 and Major Drive. 

All customers in the Beaumont area should be fully restored today except for customers served by equipment that became damaged by flood water, areas that are still flooded and areas impacted by the Amelia substation or Bevil substation outages.  

Air boats and additional resources brought in today are helping workers reach areas that were currently inaccessible.  Workers are assessing the Hwy 105 west corridor today and continue to work outages scattered throughout the area.  Areas such as the south county areas of Fannett and La Belle as well as Bevil Oaks, Pinewood, Countrywood and Northwest Forest will continue to be assessed. 

Port Arthur, Mid-County

There are currently 1,213 customers without power in the Port Arthur and Mid-County areas.  395 of the remaining customers without power are either inaccessible due to flooding or may have equipment that sustained flood damage.  Parkway Village and the Golf Course area along Jimmy Johnson Blvd. are now accessible and workers are in those areas assessing damage today.

Entergy workers are currently working in areas that have recently become accessible including the Stonegate area of Port Arthur. They also continue to work smaller, isolated outages throughout the Port Arthur, Groves, Nederland, Port Neches and Port Acres areas that are not flooded.  There are over 100 workers assisting in the restoration of this area with additional workers on the way. 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.

All customers in the Port Arthur area should be fully restored today 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 860 customers without power in the Dayton area. 

The Magnolia Ames substation outage is causing 793 of these customers to be without power.  Workers are currently on site testing and repairing equipment. As repairs are completed workers will attempt to restore power to these customers who can safely receive it, including the south Liberty area off of Hwy 563 from Hankamer to Liberty.

Workers are on site in the Lockshire edition changing out damaged equipment and will restore power to any additional customers that are able to receive power.  There are workers on FM 2684 in a high water truck making repairs. Workers continue to patrol Hwy 563 by airboat while vegetation and utility workers clear and correct problem spots as the receding water permits in that area.  

Orange County

Orange, Vidor, Bridge City

There are currently 15,967 customers without power in the Orange County area, which is down from 18,952 this morning.  The most significant damage at this time is to the substations that have been underwater or are still flooded which feed power into neighborhoods, but there are also broken poles, damaged transformers, trees on power lines and power lines down. 

In the Vidor area, the Lakeview subdivision is still inaccessible due to flooding. Most of the remaining customers in Vidor are out are due to substation flooding and customers impacted by the substation outages will receive an estimated restoration time today.  

There are currently a total of 300 workers in Orange, Vidor and surrounding areas, including utility workers, scouts, tree trimmers and support workers.  All damage assessments will be completed today. As the flood waters slowly recede, vegetation workers and utility workers are out making repairs to damaged equipment to restore power as quickly as is safely possible. 

Hardin County, Tyler County

Silsbee, Woodville, Lumberton

Currently there are 1,858 customers without power in Silsbee, Lumberton and the surrounding areas.  

Customers impacted by the McDonald substation outage will receive an estimated restoration time today, including those in north and east Silsbee along Hwy 418 and Hwy 92 north. 

All customers in the Lumberton and Woodville areas should be fully restored today 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.  

Chambers County

Winnie, Anahuac

There are 83 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.

Imminent flooding or evacuation:

  • Before leaving, prepare your home by turning off your electricity at the main fuse or breaker and your water at the main valve. Also check for and secure objects that could cause damage if blown by high winds.
  • When power is restored, look for electrical system damage. If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or notice the smell of hot insulation, turn off the electricity at either the main fuse box or circuit breaker. You may need a licensed electrician to assess your equipment and assure safety.
  • If it looks as though water may enter your home, it’s a good idea to open the main breaker in your electrical breaker box in order to cut off power.

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.

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
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