Entergy is Ready for the 2018 Hurricane Season

05/23/2018

CONTACT

Michael Burns
504-576-4132
mburns@entergy.com

Charlotte J. Cavell
504-576-4132
ccavell@entergy.com

Company urges customers to get personal storm plans in place

NEW ORLEANS – Hurricane season doesn’t officially start until June 1, but that didn’t stop a rain-filled weather system from pummeling parts of the eastern Gulf Coast last week or a tropical disturbance from threatening to enter the Gulf of Mexico later this week. With slightly above-average activity predicted for the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, Entergy wants you to know it is ready to safely and quickly restore power should a storm strike our area.

“For those of us in coastal states, the chance of a tropical system impact in any given year is very real,” said Melonie Stewart, interim vice president of customer service in Louisiana. “The areas we serve are prone to some of the most severe weather events in the United States, from flooding to tornadoes to hurricanes. That’s why we have a plan of continuous preparation, training and action in place that we call Operation: Storm Ready.”

Staying Prepared is Key
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 severe weather threat, Entergy uses 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 as needed to safely get the power back on as quickly as possible.

Assessing damage, deploying personnel to the right place with the right materials and restoring power are all processes Entergy continually plans for and improves. Recently, employees across the Entergy system completed annual storm-response exercises to make sure company procedures are reviewed and updated prior to the beginning of hurricane season.

“While we hope that no tropical weather events threaten our area, these measures help our employees understand their roles and responsibilities in the event of a major restoration,” said Stewart. “Safety is a core value at Entergy and we want it to be your top priority, too. That’s why we urge you and your families to discuss your personal storm plans and get them in place now.”

Keeping Customers Informed is Essential
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 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.
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 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. Follow Entergy New Orleans on Twitter at @EntergyNOLA and on Facebook at facebook.com/EntergyNOLA. And you always can access the main Entergy accounts at @Entergy or facebook.com/Entergy.

Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers and natural gas service to nearly 93,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area. The company has operations in southern, central and northeastern Louisiana.

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 106,000 customers. 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 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 $11 billion and more than 13,000 employees.

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

entergyneworleans.com
facebook.com/EntergyNOLA
Twitter: @EntergyNOLA