Storm Center > Storm Restoration of North Louisiana Power Grid Underway

Storm Restoration of North Louisiana Power Grid Underway

04/13/2020

Crews expect to restore power tonight to the vast majority of Louisiana customers outside of Ouachita Parish, with some customers in remote areas of Webster and Bienville parishes receiving power tomorrow.

Approximately 4,000 customers remain without power in the Monroe and West Monroe areas. Nearly 3,000 customers in the area just south of I-20 to 12th Street and between the Ouchita River and Highway 165 could be without power until Thursday due to extensive damages to the electrical system. The remaining 1,000 customers outside of these boundaries should be restored by Tuesday evening.

The storm system caused significant damage to distribution and transmission infrastructure in south and southwest Monroe. Because of the extensive damage, parts of the electrical system will have to be rebuilt from the ground up. In addition, crews are taking extra precautions to remain safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, including following social distancing guidelines set forth by health officials. These challenges could extend restoration times, especially in areas of numerous, widespread outages.

As of Monday afternoon, the following were identified by scouts as damaged or in need of repair across Entergy’s service area in Louisiana, with the vast majority in the northern region of the state (numbers approximate):

  • 230 poles
  • 560 spans of wire
  • 75 transformers

If you see workers in the field, please keep your distance so that everyone can remain safe.

There are several things you should do to make sure structures are ready to be re-connected to the grid if you have lost power:

  • Check outside and around structures for damage to electrical equipment.
  • If the meter or any of the conduit and wires on the outside wall are missing or look damaged, call an electrician to make repairs.
  • Entergy Storm Center has information on how to spot damages.

Louisiana Editorial Team