Entergy Texas Winter Storm Update – 2/15/21 @ 8 a.m.

02/15/2021

February 15, 2021 Monday, 8:00 AM

TEXAS

Background:

Freezing rain, snow, and sleet arrived in the Entergy Texas service territory Sunday night and into Monday morning. Extremely cold temperatures have accompanied this storm and are expected to last for much of the week.

Entergy Texas has started periodic power outages for its customers across southeast Texas. The company is taking this action as directed by our reliability coordinator, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), as a last resort and in order to prevent a more extensive, prolonged power outage that could severely affect the reliability of the power grid. While our crews worked to prepare for this storm, a loss of generation combined with the peak load has caused a strain on the system. As a result, we are short of the power needed to meet our customers’ demands across southeast Texas

Due to bitterly cold temperatures and the winter storm, the demand for electricity has reached an all-time high. You can do your part to help us manage through this by taking a few easy steps to conserve energy. Learn more here.

As of 8:00 am, Entergy Texas has 79,833 customers currently without power. Nearly 1,000 workers are available to engage in restoration efforts. Our crews will begin assessing damage and safely restore power. Ice and road conditions will have an impact on our ability to travel.

Restoration work following widespread winter storm outages is proceeding as quickly and safely as possible. The high level of instantaneous demand can hamper efforts to restore power in your area. If currently without power, please take actions and unplug electric hear systems and appliances and turn them back on gradually after power is restored.

Along with standard storm preparations, Entergy employees are navigating the COVID-19 pandemic by taking additional steps. Crews will continue to practice social distancing, and we ask that customers do the same. For our safety and yours, please stay away from work zones.

Key Messages:

Entergy Texas has started periodic power outages for its customers across southeast Texas as directed by MISO.
Freezing rain, snow, sleet, and ice accumulation occurred beginning Sunday night.
Traveling is impacted with icy roadways, especially bridges and overpasses.
Ice accumulation on trees and power lines can result in power outages.
Extreme cold is expected over the next few days resulting in high electricity demand.

Safety is our number one priority. If you lose power:

Stay away from downed power lines and assume they are energized. Report them to 1-800-9OUTAGE.
Report your power outage online to Entergy Texas or call 1-800-9OUTAGE. There is no need to speak with a customer service representative to report an outage if completed online.
If you have a portable generator, use it safely. DO NOT run it in an enclosed space. If connecting to the whole house, do so only if the connection has been installed by a licensed electrician to prevent back feed on to the distribution system.
Do not open your refrigerator or freezer door. Food will stay cold much longer this way. If outside temperature is below freezing, consider placing food in an ice chest outside.
Please stay clear of linemen as they work to safely restore power.
Customers without power can help in the restoration process by turning off major appliances but leaving on a lamp or other light to indicate when power is restored. Then, gradually turn other appliances to spread out the increase in power usage over a longer time. Visit entergy.com/cold to learn more.

Customer preparations should include:

Charge up mobile devices and back-up batteries.
Download the Entergy app to sign up for text updates.
Review guidance at entergystormcenter.com.
If you have medical equipment that requires electricity to properly function, take necessary steps to secure an alternative source of electricity in the event of a power disruption.
Have an emergency kit including flashlights, medicine, first aid, blankets, water, and food.

Conserve Electricity:

Remember that extreme cold can drive increased electricity consumption. Follow these easy steps to reduce consumption and lower your usage:

Heating can account for as much as 55% of your monthly electric bill. Setting the thermostat to 68 degrees in the winter is an easy way to reduce how much energy you use. Every degree above 68 on the thermostat can increase your bill by about 3%.
Conserve hot water. Wrap your electric water heater with a water heater blanket that can be found at local home improvement stores and set the thermostat to 120 degrees or medium.
Keep all doors and windows closed. Constant traffic will let out the warm air, forcing your heater to work harder to keep the room at the set temperature.
Ensure fans are turning the right way. Fans should be run at a low speed clockwise during the winter. This helps keep the cold air from blowing down on you.
Keep the air circulating. Don’t block heat registers or air returns with curtains or furniture.
Leverage the sun. During the day, open your curtains and blinds to let in the warm sunlight. Close them at night to reduce heat loss.

Stay Informed:

We continuously keep our communities informed throughout a storm using the following channels:

Download our free app for your smartphone at entergy.com/app.
Sign up for text alerts. From your cell phone text REG to 36778.
Visit the Entergy Storm Center website and our View Outages
Follow us on Twitter.com/entergytx or Facebook.com/entergytx.
Call us at 800-9OUTAGE (800-968-8243).
Follow updates in your local news media like radio television and newspapers.