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Storm Center > Entergy Arkansas storm update – 4/2/23, 8 p.m.
Entergy Arkansas storm update – 4/2/23, 8 p.m.
04/02/2023
Crews worked throughout the weekend to restore power to more than 50,000 customers who lost it after tornados swept through Arkansas Friday, March 31.
About 3,300 workers are helping to restore power, and crews are focusing on the hardest-hit areas. The restoration process is slow and methodical, as crews are having to maneuver around piles of debris and hard-to-access areas.
Just over 10,000 customers are without power, down from a peak of more than 56,000 customers as of 5:45 p.m. Friday, April 1, 2023. About 90 percent of customers who can have power restored to their homes are expected to have it by late Thursday night, if not before.
Crews are swarming affected areas, rebuilding the system with thicker, stronger poles and in some cases, concrete poles, to harden the system and make it more resilient.
Much of the restoration process is taking place in rear lots where crews must clear and work around storm debris to access the lines and use backyard machines to get equipment in confined areas. In some cases, workers must 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.
The weather forecast calls 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 damage assessment is near completion. 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; 8:30 p.m.)
Pulaski County and Surrounding Areas
West Markham & Cammack Village
Entergy crews are continuing safe restoration of service today. As of 4 p.m., power has been restored to over 26,400 customers. Damage assessment is 98% complete in the affected areas and is expected to be completed by tomorrow morning. Damage includes 355 broken poles and 325 spans of downed power lines. Over 1,000 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, April 6, 2023, at 11 p.m. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.
- Reservoir District: Entergy has 40 Line crews and additional vegetation crews working to repair multiple broken poles in this area. Entergy anticipates restoring power to approximately 200 customers by 11 p.m. tonight, Sunday, April 2, 2023.
- Rock Creek: 25 Line Crews and additional vegetation crews are in this area repairing multiple broken poles and several spans. Entergy anticipates restoring power to approximately 1,100 customers by 11 p.m. tonight, Sunday, April 2, 2023.
- Cammack Village: 18 Line Crews and 12 vegetation crews are working to clear debris and repair multiple 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. Entergy anticipates restoring power to approximately 100 customers by 11 p.m. tonight, Sunday, April 2, 2023.
- Nappa Valley/St Charles: 12 Line Crews and additional vegetation crews are working to clear debris and repair multiple broken poles and downed wire. Entergy anticipates restoring power to approximately 500 customers by 11 p.m. tonight, Sunday, April 2, 2023.
Jacksonville
Damage assessment has been completed in the Jacksonville area. 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 11 p.m. Some customers will be on sooner. Please refer to the outage map for your specific location and future updates as they become available.
Sherwood
Damage assessment has been completed in the Sherwood area. 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 11 p.m. Some customers will be on sooner. Please refer to the outage map for your specific location and future updates as they become available.
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 11 p.m. Outages for some customers in heavily impacted areas could see restoration times extended.
Shelters Opened for Customers
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Site |
Address |
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Wynne Boys and Girls Club |
325 Magnolia St, Wynne, AR 72396 |
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.
