Entergy Texas crews near the end of Hurricane Beryl restoration

News Release > Entergy Texas crews near the end of Hurricane Beryl restoration

Entergy Texas crews near the end of Hurricane Beryl restoration

07/16/2024

All impacted customers who can safely take power are expected to be restored tonight

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - Entergy Texas has safely restored power to nearly all customers affected by Hurricane Beryl. Hundreds of crews remain in the field to make repairs and turn the lights back on for communities hit hardest by the storm. All customers who can safely take power are expected to be restored by tonight.

"Our customers and communities have been patient with us, and we thank them for their immense support as we worked around the clock to restore their power," Eliecer Viamontes, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. "Texans are tough, and we will continue to make the necessary investments to ensure our grid is as strong as our communities."

Beryl, which barreled into the Gulf Coast area as a Category 1 hurricane, knocked out power to approximately 252,460Entergy Texas customers on July 8. The storm brought heavy rain, max winds of up to 97 mph, and a tornado to the Entergy Texas service area. Due to high winds and ground saturation during the tropical event, downed trees and other vegetation caused significant damage to806 poles, 400 transformers, 979 crossarms and left behind approximately 150 miles of downed wire. Whether in the field or behind the scenes, a workforce of more than 2,400 helped safely turn the lights back on for Southeast Texas communities.

Outside of restoration efforts, Entergy Texas also supported communities by donating $125,000 to the American Red Crossfor Beryl relief. Red Cross volunteers have been working very closely with the entire response community - government agencies, other non-profit groups, faith-based organizations, area businesses and others - to coordinate emergency relief efforts and get help to people as quickly as possible.

With storms events impacting the Gulf Coast region more often and with stronger intensity, Entergy Texas is making strategic investments to improve service reliability and make the Southeast Texas power grid more resilient against extreme weather events like hurricanes. In June of this year, the company filed an applicationwith the Public Utility Commission of Texas for approval of Phase I of its comprehensive Texas Future Ready Resiliency Plan. Once approved, the plan will benefit customers by decreasing future storm restoration costs by approximately $129 million and reducing the duration of power outages following significant weather events by 4.5 billion minutes over the next fifty years.

To learn more about the company's strategic plan to keep Southeast Texas a STEP Ahead of growing energy needs, click here.