News Release > Storms Cause Extensive Damage to Electric Infrastructure in Louisiana

Storms Cause Extensive Damage to Electric Infrastructure in Louisiana

02/24/2016

Some 1,000 workers are engaged in assessing damage, repairing equipment and restoring power

BATON ROUGE – Violent storms that ripped through southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday spawning multiple tornadoes have caused severe and extensive damage to Entergy's electrical infrastructure, slowing efforts by more than 1,000 restoration workers diligently trying to restore service to customers. As of noon today, nearly 17,000 customers remained without power, down from a peak of 30,500.

"The damage is some of the worst we have seen outside of a major hurricane," said Dennis Dawsey, Entergy Louisiana vice president of customer service. "We have nearly 200 downed or broken power poles, approximately 125 spans of downed lines and extensive transmission damage. Our crews, assisted by contract crews and sister utility crews, are working diligently to assess damage, repair equipment and restore power just as quickly as they are safely able to do so."

Storm damage was extensive in the hardest hit areas of St. James, St. John the Baptist and Assumption Parishes.

St. James Parish

Strong thunderstorms with tornados moved through the area Tuesday causing significant damage in the Convent area.  Crews continue to assess damage and are beginning to safely restore power where possible. Approximately 20 poles are reported broken and about 410 customers remain without power. Additional crews have been brought in to help with restoration and damage repair. Expected restoration for all customers who can safely take power is by 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 25.

St. John the Baptist Parish

Strong thunderstorms and tornados caused significant damage to Entergy's electrical grid on Tuesday. Crews are continuing damage assessments and are beginning to restore power where possible. More than 24 broken poles are affecting service to almost 9,000 customers in the area along Airline Highway from Laplace Park Subdivision to Belle Terre Boulevard. Additional crews have been deployed to the area to help with restoration and damage repair. Expected restoration for all customers who can safely take power is by 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 25.

Assumption Parish

Severe thunderstorms and tornados moved through the area on Tuesday. Crews have begun assessing damage and restoring power. Significant damage occurred to Entergy's electrical facilities along Highway 1, Highway 308, Highway 70 and Highway 70 Spur. More than 150 poles have been knocked down or broken. Additional Entergy and contract crews are being deployed to the area.  Restoration is projected to be complete by Friday evening, February 26.

Where to get info

Customers are encouraged to download Entergy's mobile app at entergy.com/app to access outage maps and information. In addition, online services are available to customers through Entergy Storm Center, MyAccount and View Outages. Through MyAccount, customers can sign up to send and receive text information about power outages at their homes and businesses through their cell phones. Registration is easy.

Safety

Please be mindful of the following:

· Live wires can be deadly. Stay away from downed power lines. Call 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) to report downed or dangling power lines, poles or other damaged equipment.

· Don't 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 or 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.

Residents with damage to customer-owned equipment -- such as the meter base, external breaker box or weather head -- will need an electrician to make repairs before power can be restored to their property.

Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers and natural gas service to approximately 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 owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11.5 billion and more than 13,000 employees.

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