Entergy Restores 107,000 Customers in Mississippi, Louisiana, New Orleans Service Areas
Company overnight achieved first lights to New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) continues to make substantial restoration progress following Hurricane Ida's destructive path through Southeast Louisiana and Mississippi. After three days of restoration work following Hurricane Ida's landfall, Entergy has restored more than 107,000 customers and powered its New Orleans Power Station to achieve first lights overnight to the Greater New Orleans area.
Hurricane Ida's Category 4 winds, 15-foot storm surge and flooding makes it one of the most devastating storms to hit the Entergy region. The estimated 950,000 customers affected is second only to Hurricane Katrina's 1.1 million who were left without power. Restoration efforts are ongoing, and crews are working to fully assess damage and develop plans to restore affected areas.
"Hurricane Ida has devastated so many of the communities we call home," said Rod West, group president, utility operations. "The next days and weeks will be difficult for our region, but Entergy and our employees are here to lead the recovery. We will not stop until the last light is on."
"First Lights" in Greater New Orleans
Early Wednesday morning, Entergy crews turned power on for some customers in Eastern New Orleans with generation supplied by the New Orleans Power Station. This is the first step in bringing power back to the metro region – including Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, as well as parts of St. Charles and Terrebonne parishes – after Hurricane Ida left devastating destruction.
While initial service can be provided to some customers, full restoration will take time given the significant damage across the region. Customers are urged to adhere to the guidance of their local officials on when to return to the area.
Critical Service Providers
In addition to making significant progress on restoring outages, Entergy has also worked closely with critical service providers to help eliminate any disruption to services as crews work to restore power.
Crews made significant progress in Jefferson Parish on Wednesday afternoon, bringing back service to the largest hospital in the state, Oschner Main Campus. Also, Entergy currently has installed generators at both East Jefferson Hospital and Lady of the Sea. Near Baton Rouge, Women's Hospital, O'Neal Lane Hospital, and Baton Rouge General Mid-City have all had power restored.
Wastewater infrastructure is a priority for all impacted areas across the state. Entergy restored power to the Brusly Sewer Treatment Facility, in addition to working with the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans to provide backup power generation to support critical equipment. Additionally, Entergy has installed backup generation at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to help power facilities for affected residents and the Louisiana National Guard.
Across southeast Louisiana's unique landscape, Entergy's transmission system spans land, water and marsh. In many cases, special equipment will be used as we inspect, repair and replace the steel, concrete and tensioned wires that are the foundation for our structures.
Scouting and restoration efforts continue across Entergy's impacted territory. Although damages are still being assessed, crews have found more than 5,800 downed poles and nearly 1,400 damaged transformers.
More than 21,000 workers from 38 states are assessing the vast damage and destruction across New Orleans, southeast Louisiana and Mississippi, and restoring service where it is safe to do so.
"Above all, we stress safety not only for our crews but also for all those working to recover along the storm's path," added West. "We truly thank our customers and communities for their patience as we work together to recover from Ida's devastating impact."
Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) is an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 7,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees.
SOURCE Entergy Corporation
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