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.
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SOURCE Entergy Corporation