News Release > Crews Make Significant Progress Following Zeta, Restoring Power to Nearly 90% of Customers

Crews Make Significant Progress Following Zeta, Restoring Power to Nearly 90% of Customers

11/02/2020

NEW ORLEANS, La. – After four days of restoration work, Entergy’s storm team has made significant progress in power restoration, returning power to more than 416,000 customers, nearly 90%, affected by Hurricane Zeta.

At its peak, the strong Category 2 storm knocked out power to 481,000 customers in Louisiana after landfall near Cocodrie with wind speeds of 110 mph, just 1 mph shy of a Category 3 storm. Overall, crews have found damage to 2,747 poles, 573 transformers and 1,794 spans of wire.

"We’ve made great strides in restoring power. In fact, nearly 97% of customers in Orleans Parish have been restored; however, we still have work to do. We have a dedicated crew of over 6,000 who are converging on the hardest-hit areas and won’t stop until every customer has their power back on,” said John Hawkins, Entergy’s vice president of distribution operations in Louisiana. “I want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we work to restore power to our communities.”

Challenging areas remain

In some of the hardest-hit areas in the path of Hurricane Zeta, crews are finding many rear-lot broken poles, which requires special equipment to replace and is a more time-consuming repair process. Crews have also encountered damage to several terminal poles, which are the poles closest to the substations that deliver power to neighborhoods as well as multiple broken poles that feed multiple circuits. These poles require a more extensive and detailed restoration process.

In addition, accessibility issues that require specialized equipment to reach our infrastructure have extended restoration times for some customers. Crews continue to work through vegetation issues and debris, including parts of roofs and tree limbs, entangled in electrical lines that need to be cleared as crews work on repairing the system. Beyond widespread outages, Zeta caused extensive damage to infrastructure in the coastal areas near where the Category 2 storm made landfall.

For a full list of restoration times, customers can click the restoration information banner on the view outages map.

As Entergy continues to restore power, customers should ensure they can accept power when it becomes available. Check for damage to the electrical equipment attached to your home or business and contact an electrician to make needed repairs. For information on your home’s electrical equipment, visit our Storm Center site. If damage has been repaired by a qualified electrician, call 1-800-ENTERGY to generate a service-reconnection work order. Customers may see that their neighbors have power restored before they do. That could mean that each customer is served by two different parts of the electric grid.

While work is being completed to restore power across southeast Louisiana, customers are reminded to keep safety in mind. Always avoid downed power lines and electric equipment and use caution when clearing debris from around your home or business for your safety. For safety tips, including proper generator use, visit entergynewsroom.com/storm-center/safety.

Entergy urges customers to keep streets open for local emergency vehicles and workers. Additionally, crews will continue to practice social distancing and Entergy asks that customers do the same. For the safety of crews and other first responders, please stay away from work zones. Customers needing assistance should call 1-800-ENTERGY.

Stay Informed

Staying informed before, during and after a tropical system strikes is just as important as making personal storm plans. Here’s how customers can stay updated throughout the event:

• Download the Entergy App 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.
• Sign up for text messages by texting REG to 36778 and have your account number and ZIP code handy. The registration pattern is as follows including spaces: REG (account number) (ZIP code). Once registered, text OUT to 36778 to report an outage. You can also report an outage online as a guest.
• The Entergy Storm Center website has storm safety, preparation and restoration information that is updated throughout the day.
• Operation: Storm Ready Guide is a free downloadable guide that helps customers plan and prepare for weather emergencies.

Follow us on Social Media

Social media plays an important role in keeping customers informed, and the companies place a high priority on updating their social media channels throughout an event. Customers can follow Entergy Louisiana on Facebook and Twitter, and Entergy New Orleans on Facebook and Twitter.

Entergy New Orleans, LLC is an electric and gas utility that serves Louisiana’s Orleans Parish. The company provides electricity to more than 200,000 customers and natural gas to more than 108,000 customers.

Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers and natural gas service to more than 93,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area. It has operations in southern, central and northern Louisiana. Both companies are subsidiaries of Entergy Corporation.

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 8,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $11 billion and approximately 13,600 employees.

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