Entergy Louisiana Is Storm Ready for the 2017 Hurricane Season

06/01/2017

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Michael Burns||

Planning tips, communication tools available so customers can be prepared

BATON ROUGE, La. – Today marks the official start of the 2017 hurricane season, and Entergy Louisiana employees are ready to respond if a major storm threatens the state.

Forecasts predict anywhere from a near-average to an above-average number of storms this hurricane season, but it only takes one major storm reaching the Gulf Coast to upend lives.

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“No matter what the forecasters say, we know a hurricane making landfall along the Gulf Coast is always a possibility. It’s why we maintain a constant focus on being prepared for major weather events and invest to improve the reliability of our electrical system,” said Dennis Dawsey, vice president of customer service in Louisiana.

Planning Remains Key to Restoration

“We’re among the best in the industry in getting the power restored as safely and quickly as possible after severe storms. We’re successful because we rely upon a plan we call Operation Storm Ready that involves continuous preparation and training for everyone in our company,” Dawsey said.

Staying storm ready is a year-round effort, and it begins with monitoring weather systems around the clock, every day of the year. When there’s a weather threat, Entergy uses weather forecasts and computer models based on experience with past storms to predict an estimated number and duration of outages that could occur. Based on those estimates, Entergy will call on restoration workers from around the country to get the power back on as safely and quickly as possible.

Stay Prepared and Informed

“Entergy is ready and encourages customers to be prepared as well,” Dawsey said. “Whether it is making an emergency plan, creating an emergency supply kit, or purchasing gear needed to weather a storm, the best time to prepare is now.”

Just as important as restoring power is the company’s ability to keep customers informed. Entergy does this in a number of ways:

An app is available for iPhone or Android at entergy.com/app. 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.
Entergy sends and can receive text messages about storm and restoration efforts. Customers can sign up by texting REG to 368374.
The Entergy Storm Center website has storm safety, preparation and restoration information that is updated throughout the day.
Operation: Storm Ready is a free downloadable guide that helps customers plan and prepare for weather emergencies.

Social media plays an important role in keeping customers informed, and Entergy Louisiana places a high priority on keeping its social media sites updated throughout an event. Follow Entergy Louisiana on Twitter at @EntergyLA and on Facebook at facebook.com/EntergyLA.

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. With operations in southern, central and northeastern Louisiana, the company is a subsidiary 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 nearly 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $10.8 billion and nearly 13,000 employees.

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entergylouisiana.com
facebook.com/EntergyLA
Twitter: @EntergyLA