12/09/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/09/2024 21:46
Insights > Entergy Hurricane Francine update - 9/12/24, 9 a.m.
09/12/2024
Hurricane Francine, currently a tropical depression, continues moving northeastward from Louisiana through Mississippi. Outages are expected to continue increasing today as the storm moves through Entergy's service territory.
We have started restoring service to our customers where it is safe to do so and assessing damage to our system caused by Francine. When restoration starts, keep in mind that if you don't see us working near you, we may be working on another part of the electrical system that you can't see but that must be repaired to get power to you.
After making landfall last evening in Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2 hurricane, Francine moved through the Entergy service territory, causing power outages throughout Louisiana. The hardest-hit areas appear to be coastal parts of Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, as well as Assumption and Ascension parishes - regions that faced some of the strongest winds. The storm has disrupted electrical service to 288,340 Entergy customers and additional outages are expected as the storm moves through our service territory. At 8:45 a.m., outages included: 227,900 in Louisiana, 51,620 in New Orleans and 8,820 in Mississippi. Entergy Louisiana's outage map shows the total number of outages including Entergy New Orleans customers.
Where we are able to do so, we have already restored customers by means of remote switching via our operations control centers, switching in the field to isolate damage locations and continuous restoration activities.
In parallel to restoring power to critical services, we assess damage and put in place our restoration plan that will help us restore the greatest number of customers safely in the shortest amount of time. Assessment could take up to three days. While we are assessing damage, we will continue restoring service where it is safe to do so. Our scouts are assessing damage to determine the exact cause of your outage and how long it will take to correct the problem. We use advanced technology such as infrared cameras, drones and satellite imagery to assess damage by foot, vehicles, airboats, highwater vehicles and helicopters. We will begin to communicate more information on estimated restoration times as damage assessment progresses.
Our crews are ready to respond.
Safety always comes first. Then, restoring power is the top priority and first order of business. We assemble and organize the workforce needed to restore service safely and quickly to all customers.
In addition to our normal workforce, we have acquired 6,000 restoration workers ready to restore service for customers whose power may be affected by Francine. Additional resources will arrive today to fulfill our resource need. Restoration crews have been brought in from 11 states to support Entergy Mississippi, Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans.
Total restoration field workforce includes company employees, contractors and mutual aid resources numbering approximately 1,900 in Mississippi, 6,600 in Louisiana and 865 in New Orleans. Please be mindful of restoration crews working in travel lanes and near the edge of roadways.
Every storm is unique, but our history with storm restoration is a guide to predicting the amount of damage and restoration time following a hurricane.
Before a hurricane makes landfall, we make estimates on restoration timelines based on the category, intensity, size and track of the storm.
As we know, major hurricanes can cause extended outage restoration times. While the majority of customers may be restored quicker, some of the hardest hit areas could take longer dependent on the extent of damage to Entergy's electrical facilities.
We strive to give an estimate of how long it will take to restore most of our customers 48-72 hours after landfall. We can provide better estimates as damage assessments are completed. Power is restored faster in areas with less damage. Restoration times in the hardest hit areas depend on the extent of damage to Entergy's electrical facilities. Significant flooding and other accessibility challenges due to the storm will affect our ability to reach some areas of our territory and could delay restoration in those communities.
We restore power as quickly as it is safe to do so.
Safety is our core value and always comes first. Then, restoring power is the top priority and first order of business. We assemble and organize the workforce needed to restore service safely and quickly to all customers.
Keeping our workers safe from worsening weather conditions may limit our ability to restore service as quickly as we'd all like.
We are committed to keeping our employees safe and sheltered during dangerous periods caused by high winds, flooding and other severe storm conditions.
Our crews, contractors and mutual-assistance partners are prepared to work long hours after the storm passes, restoring service to customers as safely and as quickly as possible. We continue acquiring more resources to restore service.
We pre-position crews as close as possible to where restoration activities will occur to begin restoring power to customers as quickly as possible after the storm passes, and it is safe to commence work.
We begin restoring power to customers as safely and quickly as possible after the storm passes, and the restoration process is done in an orderly, deliberate manner. This starts with assessing the damage and then repair power plants, transmission lines, substations, and then the poles and wires in your neighborhood.
Right after the storm passes, and when it's safe to do so, crews assess damage to electric equipment and facilities to determine what corrective actions and repairs are needed so that we can deploy the right personnel with the right material to make repairs.
Where possible, we will begin restoration of damaged infrastructure while simultaneously bringing customers online where there is minimal to no damage by rerouting power flows.
We start at the source with our power plants as they are the primary sources of power production for all customers.
Large transmission lines are then repaired and restored. These high-voltage lines, which are often strung on high steel towers, deliver power to cities, towns, and major industrial facilities and serve large numbers of customers.
Next, substations are brought online. Local substations must be functioning for energy to reach the power lines on your street.
Finally, we move on to the poles and wires you see in your neighborhood.
For the safety of our crews, we can't use our bucket trucks until sustained winds are less than 30 mph.
Line and vegetation crews may be the most visible part of the restoration, but many other employees behind the scenes provide the support needed to keep the restoration moving - from the start until the last light is on.
The order in which we restore customers is also deliberate. We start with essential services, move on to large neighborhoods and then to individual homes.
Power is first restored to critical community infrastructure and essential services such as hospitals, water treatment plants, police and fire stations, and communication systems.
Next, lines serving large areas of customers, then neighborhoods are restored. This returns power to the largest number of customers in the shortest amount of time.
Some homes and businesses take longer, as individual customer homes or businesses with damage are often the most time-consuming repairs.
Note: While our resilience efforts are already underway in some parts of our service area, construction began in Louisiana this July on Phase I of the approved resilience plan and will last approximately five years.
Make sure your home or business is ready for us to restore your power.
We cannot restore power to a location with a damaged meter base, conduit or weather head (the metal pipe extending upward from the structure with electrical cables inside). They must be repaired by a qualified electrician before Entergy can restore power.
Make sure your home or business is ready for us to restore your power.
If your property has any water damage, please turn off the electricity at either the main fuse box or circuit breaker. Don't step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker. Call a licensed electrician for advice when necessary. A licensed electrician may need to inspect your property's electric wiring before Entergy can restore power to a home or business which has water damage from rain or flood waters.
Even if you don't have any property damage, you should still be cautious.
Customers should stay aware and stay safe.
Customers should stay connected with us throughout a storm.
We provide restoration progress by email, text or phone call to customers who are signed up to receive notifications from us.
Our View Outages map provides outage status and estimated restoration information to customers across the company's service area.
Customers may experience delays when calling our telephone centers when severe weather strikes. We encourage them to use the other quick and easy options available to report an outage, but they may call us at 1-800-9OUTAGE (800-968-8243).
Customers should report their outages.
As you make your plans, we will keep you informed throughout about our response.
It is very important for customers to update their contact information with us to receive urgent messages.
We send storm and restoration updates by text or phone call to customers who are signed up to receive our notifications.
We encourage all customers to check their Entergy mobile app before landfall to ensure you have the latest version or download our free app for your smartphone at entergy.com/app.
Customers may download our app for iPhone or Android and use it to report an outage or check if power is restored. To download the free app, access your app store or visit: entergy.com/app.
You can also sign up to receive our notifications and enable two-way texting. Once registered (instructions above), text OUT to 36778 to report an outage.
Customers can report an outage on our website, by visiting myEntergy.com. You can first log into your online account or submit as a guest.
Be on alert: stormy weather also increases scam attempts.
We are an industry leader.
We are a recognized leader in storm response. It takes an army to restore a village. That is why Entergy partners with other utilities in mutual assistance agreements, in preparation of restoring widespread outages that occur after severe weather. We rely on our continuous cycle of planning, preparation, training and evaluation. Annual readiness drills and training, such as computer-based and event tabletops are conducted to promote and test awareness.