Continuing the conversation with Congress on natural disasters

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Continuing the conversation with Congress on natural disasters

08/28/2024

Entergy employees recently participated in a briefing in Washington, D.C. to educate Congress about how electric utilities prepare for and respond to natural disasters.

Our federal government affairs team worked with U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Caucus, and the Edison Electric Institute to host the event on Capitol Hill for its second year. Members of Entergy's incident response team spoke with members of Congress and their staff about the unique needs of our region. The team also discussed the challenges we face when responding to severe weather events and how we prepare year-round to keep the lights on during storms and support our communities in their aftermath.

"Events like this are important opportunities to advocate for our customers at the national level. They also highlight the critical role our region plays in national security, U.S. energy independence and the global economy," said Rob Hall, vice president for federal government affairs. "By bringing our incident response experts to meet with members of Congress, we're able to share our readiness expertise and ensure our customers' voices are represented in the decisions being made in Washington that affect their everyday lives."

During the event, the participating utilities shared information on how power companies partner with each other, non-profit organizations and the U.S. government to prepare for and respond to hurricanes that affect their service areas while showing examples of the technology used for hurricane preparedness and response.

"Our CEO, Drew Marsh, often says our work as an electric utility is critical for all facets of life," said James Wood, senior manager for incident response. "The event provided a forum to talk about the increasing likelihood of severe tropical weather and educate Congress on the restoration challenges our communities face after a hurricane. Partnering with Congress is key to strengthening the communities we serve and ensuring their safety and economic well-being."

Rep. Carter and caucus co-chairs spoke about the importance of national aid programs and policies to provide immediate relief for those affected by disasters as well as measures to ensure that impacted communities make a full recovery.

Our federal governmental affairs team also met with the staff of members of Congress who oversee the management of another type of natural disaster that is becoming an increasing threat to our communities - wildfires. They discussed the challenges utilities are facing in preparing for and responding to wildfires and how to protect public safety while ensuring customer reliability, such as implementing public safety power shutoffs during emergencies.

Our customers live in areas prone to some of the most severe weather in the country, which is why we're committed to continuing the conversation with Congress on natural disasters and advocating for our customers and communities.