Storm Center > Entergy Arkansas storm update – 4/2/23, 11:30 a.m.

Entergy Arkansas storm update – 4/2/23, 11:30 a.m.

By: Arkansas Editorial Team

04/02/2023

Crews replace poles in the St. Charles neighborhood of Little Rock.

As crews are having to completely rebuild parts of the electric grid after devastating tornados, they are using thicker, stronger poles and in some cases, concrete poles, to harden the system and make it more resilient.

Crews are having to maneuver around piles of debris and hard-to-access areas to rebuild the system that was destroyed by tornadoes on Friday, March 31. At the peak of the outages Friday evening, more than 56,000 customers had lost power. In just over 24 hours after the storm hit, over 37,000 customers have been restored. As of 11 a.m., just over 17,000 customers are without power.

The hard work continues, and 90 percent of customers who can have power restored to their homes are expected to have it by late Thursday night. A lot of the restoration process is taking place off road with limited access, and in customer’s backyards, which is a slow process. Crews have to clear and work around storm debris to access the lines and use backyard machines to get equipment in confined areas. In some cases, workers have to carry the equipment into the yards and manually climb poles to restore power.

Specialized equipment such as helicopters, backyard machines, excavators and bull dozers are being used to assist with storm restoration efforts in the hardest hit areas. Entergy Arkansas has amassed a workforce of about 3,300, including line workers, damage assessors, vegetation crews and support personnel.

The weather forecast calls for rain today, Sunday, April 2, and potentially for more severe weather this week, which could cause delays in restoration and possibly more outages.

We will continue to provide additional estimated restoration times in specific areas that remain without power as soon as damage assessment is complete. We appreciate your continued patience as we work diligently to safely restore power and build back a more resilient system.

County/Town Information (and surrounding areas)

(4/2/23; 11:30 a.m.)

Pulaski County and Surrounding Areas

West Markham & Cammack Village

Entergy crews are continuing safe restoration of service today. As of 9 a.m., power has been restored to over 24,000 customers. Damage assessment is 65% complete in the affected areas. Damage includes 295 broken poles and 180 spans of downed power lines. About 316 line and vegetation workers are working to safely restore power to West Markham, Cammack Village, Reservoir, River Ridge, Walnut Valley, Pleasant Valley, and Midtown. Additional personnel and resources are enroute to help with restoration efforts.  Entergy expects most customers that can safely receive service to be restored by Thursday at 10 p.m. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.

• Reservoir District: Entergy has 2 Line crews and additional vegetation crews working to repair several broken poles in this area
• Rock Creek: 9 Line Crews and additional vegetation crews are in this area repairing several broken poles and several spans
• Walnut Valley: 6 Line Crews and additional vegetation crews are working to clear debris and repair several broken poles and downed wire.
• Rebsamen Park & Foxcroft Areas: 14 Line Crews and 9 vegetation crews are working to clear debris and repair more than 35 broken poles and multiple spans of downed wire. Repairs are taking additional time here due to the amounts of vegetative debris that is creating accessibility issues. Crews are utilizing specialized equipment to expedite safe restoration.
• Crystal Hill: 3 Line Crews are continuing work today to replace 21 broken poles and downed conductor in this area.

Jacksonville

Damage assessment is nearing completion for the backbone of the system in the Jacksonville area. Damaged facilities totals continue to grow upon inspection by our damage assessment teams. Entergy has additional resources in the area to shorten outage duration as much as possible. Entergy expects 90% of customers who can safely receive service to be restored by Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 10 p.m. Estimated restoration times for the approximately 2,300 customers are not yet available. Entergy will update estimated restoration times as damage assessments near completion. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.

Sherwood

Damage assessment is nearing completion for the backbone of the system in the Sherwood area. Damaged facilities totals continue to grow upon inspection by our damage assessment teams. Entergy has additional resources in the area to shorten outage duration as much as possible.   Entergy expects 90% of customers who can safely receive service to be restored by Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 10 p.m. Estimated restoration times for the approximately 1,207 customers are not yet available. Entergy will update estimated restoration times as damage assessments near completion. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.

Cross County and Surrounding Areas

Wynne

Damage assessment in Wynne is complete. Damage in the immediate area includes 481 spans of downed power lines, 312 broken poles, 104 damaged transformers and 268 cross arms.

The storm caused extensive damage to the transmission grid in the area. Multiple areas were identified where transmission equipment had become entangled with distribution equipment – these entanglements add increased complications to the process of restoring power safely.  Power is supplied to Entergy customers from two substations in Wynne - the Wynne South Substation and the Wynne Industrial Substation.  Power from the transmission grid to the Wynne South Substation was restored late Friday (March 31) night. Entanglement issues have been remedied. Clearance was obtained on Saturday evening (April 1) to safely begin restoring the connection from the transmission grid to the Wynne Industrial Substation.

Approximately 235 Entergy workers and contracted resources are engaged in Wynne to safely restore power to effected customers. Entergy Arkansas expects customers who can safely receive service to be restored by Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 11 p.m. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.

Parkin and Twist

 Damage assessment has been completed. We have identified 125 broken poles, 200 spans of wire down, and 90 damaged transformers.  Most customers who can safely take service are expected to be restored by Sunday, April 2, at 10 p.m. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.

Shelters Opened for Customers

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with our impacted customers and communities. While crews work to restore power, Entergy Arkansas urges customers to keep safety first.

Here are some tips to keep you safe while we restore your power.

• Live wires can be deadly. Stay away from downed power lines. Call 1-800-9OUTAGE or 1-800-968-8243 to report downed or dangling power lines, damaged or downed poles or other damaged equipment.
• Do not 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. Again, stay away from downed 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, 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 main electric panel. 
• Do not run a generator in a confined space without adequate ventilation. Use them only outdoors, following all manufacturers’ safety guidelines.
• Turn off any electrical appliances that can easily be turned to the off position until power is restored.
• Check on seniors, who can be particularly susceptible to extreme temperatures.
• Try to stay off the roads in affected areas. More traffic in bad weather leads to more accidents, including more injuries and fatalities as well as accidents that can damage electrical poles and other equipment, creating outages and impeding the ability of crews to access and repair damage and slowing restoration.

We want to keep you informed and in control. The best way to get information about outages is via Entergy Arkansas’s View Outage page on our website. Additional resources for your convenience:

• Download our app for your smartphone at Entergy.com/app or visit Entergy Arkansas Storm Center to stay informed on our restoration progress.
• Sign up for text alerts. From your cell phone, text R E G to 368374, or visit Entergytext.com.
• Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter @EntergyARK.
• Follow updates in your local news media, like radio, television, and newspapers. 

Tags

Arkansas  Storm Center 

Arkansas Editorial Team