Storm Center > Weather Hurricane Season with Entergy’s Safety and Preparation Tips

Weather Hurricane Season with Entergy’s Safety and Preparation Tips

06/03/2020

NEW ORLEANS – The South has already experienced severe storms this spring. Hurricane season starts June 1 and with predictions of major activity, Entergy’s Louisiana companies want to be sure you are prepared.

“While we don’t know when or where a hurricane or tropical storm may strike, Entergy’s employees throughout Louisiana remain ready to safely and quickly restore power if it heads our way—even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Entergy’s Operation: Storm Ready is a plan of continuous preparation, training and action,” said John Hawkins, vice president of Entergy distribution operations for Louisiana. “We understand these are challenging and uncertain times, but we are committed to providing power to the communities we serve. Our teams are ready to respond to potential outages, and we’ll continue to deliver for our customers and communities despite the current circumstances.”

Along with standard storm preparations, Entergy’s Louisiana employees continue navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic by taking additional preparation steps. These include adjusting office settings and crew staging locations and increasing the use of drones to help team members maintain social distancing. Even in the field, our crews are practicing social distancing. For their safety and yours, please stay away from their work zones. If you need to report a problem with your service or get bill payment help, we are just a phone call away at 1-800-ENTERGY. It is important to remember that due to the additional safety measures we must take because of the pandemic or an inability to secure enough offsite resources, restoration times may be extended, especially if there are widespread outages.

Stay Prepared!
Monitoring severe weather threats is a full-time job: 24/7, 365 days a year. When there’s a severe weather threat, the companies use forecasts and computer models based on experience with previous storms to predict an estimated number and duration of outages that could possibly occur. Based on those estimates, the companies call on restoration workers from around the country to safely get the power back on as quickly as possible for customers.

Entergy companies in Louisiana continuously work to plan and improve the process of assessing damage, positioning personnel to the right place with the required materials and restoring power. Employees across the system also complete annual storm-response exercises to make sure company procedures are reviewed and updated prior to the beginning of hurricane season.

Because safety is essential at Entergy, we encourage customers to make it a top priority for themselves and their families. We urge customers to get their personal storm plans in place and make a kit with the basic supplies needed in an emergency. Learn more about what can go in your kit here.

Important safety tips, such as staying away from downed power lines and debris, not walking in standing water and following local authorities’ instructions, can be found on the Entergy Storm Center.

Stay Informed!
Staying informed before, during and after a tropical system strikes are just as important as making personal storm plans. Here’s how the companies work with customers to stay updated:

• Download the Entergy App 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.
• Sign up for text messages about storm and restoration efforts 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 Guide is a free downloadable guide that helps customers plan and prepare for weather emergencies.

Get Social!
Social media plays an important role in keeping customers informed, and the company places a high priority on updating its social media channels throughout an event with tips. Customers can follow Entergy Louisiana on Facebook and Twitter, and Entergy New Orleans on Facebook and Twitter.

In addition to safety and preparedness tips, Entergy’s shareholders renewed its partnership with the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program by committing $500,000 for the next two years to help our communities better prepare for and recover from potential disasters. The contribution will help streamline the response process in times of disaster, allowing funds to arrive more quickly to help those affected across our four-state service area.

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 108,000 customers. Entergy New Orleans, LLC is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation.

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

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 $11 billion and approximately 13,600 employees.

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