Entergy Crews Continue Fighting Tropical Storm Lee

09/04/2011

NEW ORLEANS – In an ongoing battle with Tropical Storm Lee, Entergy crews continued restoration work as the storm's heavy squalls and winds slowly moved through Louisiana and Mississippi Sunday, and its effects were felt across the utility's four-state service territory.

As of 5 p.m. Sunday, 6,265 Entergy customers in Louisiana, 990 in Mississippi, 1,292 in Texas and 383 in Arkansas were without power due to Lee.

Entergy linemen and contractors made steady progress restoring customers Sunday, but outage numbers continue fluctuating as storm bands hit the region during Lee's slow march north. High winds, lightning and flooding could hamper restoration efforts. Crews are unable to work in bucket trucks when winds reach a sustained speed above 35 miles per hour.

The company reminds customers to stay away from downed power lines and to call 1-800-9OUTAGE toll-free to report electric or gas outages. Customers can also visit the Entergy Storm Center website at entergystormcenter.com for the latest updates and outage information.

Entergy urges customers to monitor the storm and to prepare to implement their own storm plans if needed.

Additionally, the company has prepared for customers a severe weather guide that contains a wealth of information related to preparing for a storm. Operation: Storm Ready can be accessed at entergystormcenter.com.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and more than 15,000 employees.

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Entergy.com

Twitter: @EntergyMedia