News Release > Entergy Gets Storm Ready for 2016 Hurricane Season; Preparation help, communications tips available

Entergy Gets Storm Ready for 2016 Hurricane Season; Preparation help, communications tips available

05/30/2016

BATON ROUGE – Weather forecasts released this spring differ in their predictions for the 2016 tropical storm season. Whether there are no storms, two storms or 10, Entergy Louisiana stands ready to restore power to customers if one strikes in the areas it serves.

Additionally, Entergy Louisiana offers a variety of resources to help customers make emergency plans for the season, along with the tools needed to stay informed about outages and restoration activities when a storm occurs.

“Those of us who live in Gulf Coast states know that the chance of living through a hurricane strike in any given year is very real,” said Dennis Dawsey, vice president of customer service for Louisiana. “The areas we serve are prone to some of the most severe weather in the United States, from tornadoes to ice storms to hurricanes. That’s why we have a plan of continuous preparation, training and action that we call ‘Operation: Storm Ready’.”

“With that kind of experience we stand ready to help our customers, too,” Dawsey added.

Being storm ready starts with monitoring weather threats 24/7, 365 days a year. When a weather threat is confirmed, past experience, weather forecasts and computer modeling help Entergy form early predictions regarding the number of power outages a storm could cause and how long restoration might take.

Those predictions include Entergy’s proven ability to bring in and sustain thousands of restoration workers from around the country. All of which is done with the safety of both workers and customers at the forefront of plans and actions.

Assessing damage, deploying personnel to the right place with the right materials and restoring power include processes Entergy continually plans and improves, thanks to its constant preparation and training.

“All of these critical functions are demonstrated and evaluated during our annual storm exercise to ensure we are tested and prepared to respond prior to hurricane season” said Dawsey.  This year’s storm exercise took place on May 18.

As important as the actual restoration itself, however, is the company’s ability to keep customers informed.

We have an app available for either iPhone or Android products at entergy.com/app,  "Dawsey said. “You can use this to report outages or check on the status of power on the street at your home or business.”

Entergy’s View Outages site includes maps of the service area, showing where outages are located and information about restoration progress.

“One of our more popular communications tools is our ability to send text messages about storm and restoration efforts,” Dawsey said. “You can sign up by texting REG to 368374.”

The crown jewel of Entergy’s tools for customers may well be the Entergy Storm Center. The website is a one-stop shop for storm safety, preparation and restoration information.

• Restoration information is updated and posted throughout the day.
• Links are provided to View Outages and other key information locations.
• A link is also provided to Operation: Storm Ready, a guide for customers to help them plan and prepare for weather emergencies.

Social media also plays an important role in keeping customers informed, with Entergy Louisiana placing a high priority on keeping its social media sites updated throughout an event. Follow Entergy Louisiana at these addresses: entergylouisiana.com, facebook.com/EntergyLA  and twitter.com/entergyla.

Entergy Louisiana provides electric service to more than one million customers and natural gas service to nearly 93,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area through the operating company Entergy Louisiana, LLC. With operations in southern, central and northeastern Louisiana, the companies are subsidiaries of Entergy Corporation.

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