Entergy’s storm team restores power to virtually all customers following Hurricane Francine

News Release > Entergy's storm team restores power to virtually all customers following Hurricane Francine

Entergy's storm team restores power to virtually all customers following Hurricane Francine

09/16/2024

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Entergy's Louisiana storm team has restored power to virtually all customers who can safely receive electric service after the impact of Hurricane Francine. Crews are continuing to work on restoring power to a small number of customers along certain water routes, as well as some customers in the hardest-hit areas of Terrebonne Parish, with plans to have service restored in Terrebonne by late tonight.

The Category 2 storm made landfall in Terrebonne Parish, packing sustained winds of approximately 100 miles per hour. In just three days, Entergy restored power to 90% of customers who experienced outages, a remarkable achievement given that restoration timelines for storms of Francine's intensity have historically taken longer.

The company credits its swift restoration efforts to ongoing training and enhancements made to its incident response program, thorough planning by utility leaders and teams ahead of the storm's landfall and new technologies like drones aiding damage assessments. In addition, more resilient infrastructure resulting from improvements and upgrades to the grid in recent years also helped expedite the return of electric service to our communities.

"We appreciate our customers' patience and understanding as we worked tirelessly to restore power," said Phillip May, Entergy Louisiana president and CEO. "Our team is deeply committed to this work, and we're grateful for the support our employees and contractors received from the community."

He added, "Restoring power is what we're trained to do, and we'll continue to be there for our customers, always ready to respond to whatever comes our way."

Entergy began preparing for Francine when it was still an area of disturbed weather in the lower Gulf of Mexico. The company activated its incident command structure and later, its state command center in Baton Rouge. Different departments, including planning, resources, logistics and operations, worked collaboratively to anticipate and respond to potential outages.

In anticipation of increased vegetation-related damage due to last summer's drought and other environmental factors, the company deployed additional tree trimmers and secured specialized equipment, including backyard machines. Entergy also staged materials, trucks and personnel near areas expected to sustain the most damage, enabling restoration efforts to begin immediately once it was safe.

The most extensive damage occurred in the Bayou Region, where waterways, swamps and cane fields posed challenges for utility crews. However, Entergy's storm team utilized a helicopter with a grapple hook to clear debris from transmission lines and airboats with buckets to facilitate repairs in swampy areas. Meanwhile, marsh buggies helped navigate saturated terrain, ensuring restoration efforts continued unabated.

At the height of response efforts, over 8,000 storm team members worked around the clock, utilizing every available tool and resource to restore service and a sense of normalcy to affected customers. Behind the scenes, employees and contractors ensured crews had access to meals, rest and safe working conditions, all coordinated from command centers across the state, including the company's Louisiana distribution operations center.

"We're incredibly grateful to our storm team and the mutual assistance crews from across the country who joined forces to help us restore power, including in the New Orleans area," said Deanna Rodriguez, Entergy New Orleans president and CEO. "No utility can tackle these challenges alone, and we're thankful for the collaboration and hard work that made it possible to get the lights back on for our customers."

A contingent of utility workers will remain in some of the hardest-hit areas to not only energize the electric system along water routes, but also to perform additional work aimed at ensuring the company continues to provide customers with reliable service. This work could require crews to isolate or deenergize portions of the electric system, so if a customer who was affected by Francine sees an outage after being restored, it could be due to this additional work.

To view photos of Entergy's response efforts following Hurricane Francine, visit the company's Hurricane Francine Flickr album.

About Entergy Louisiana

Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers in 58 parishes and natural gas service to more than 94,000 customers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

About Entergy New Orleans

Entergy New Orleans, LLC is an electric and gas utility that serves Louisiana's Orleans Parish. The company provides electricity to more than 209,000 customers and natural gas to more than 110,000 customers.

Both companies are subsidiaries of Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 company that powers life for 3 million customers through operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We're investing in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping our region transition to cleaner, more efficient energy solutions. With roots in our communities for more than 100 years, Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, we have delivered more than $100 million in economic benefits each year to local communities through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees.