Entergy Texas crews made significant progress overnight and have now restored power to 90% of customers impacted by severe thunderstorms that moved through the region Thursday and Friday. At the peak of Thursday’s storm, approximately 37,600 customers were without power. As of 10 a.m. Saturday, approximately 2,600 outages remain.
Most of the remaining outages are in areas experiencing significant flooding due to the back-to-back storms. High flood waters are delaying restoration efforts, but Entergy Texas is using a variety of resources like high water vehicles and airboats to safely restore power to those customers as quickly as possible.
Crews are also working safely to repair equipment damaged from heavy rainfall, strong winds, and hail. Initial damage assessments identified damage to 63 transformers, 54 poles, 110 crossarms, and 78,000 feet of downed wire.
Customers who can safely receive power will be restored by the end of today. A workforce of more than 550 people are working around the clock, and they will continue to do so until all customers have been restored.
With flooding impacting several communities within the Entergy Texas service area, we’re encouraging customers to keep these flood safety tips top of mind:
·Stay away from downed lines. If you see a downed line, keep your distance and call 1-800-9OUTAGE to report it.
·Avoid areas of debris, as downed and energized power lines may not be visible.
·Don’t walk or drive through flood waters. Just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of water can sweep your vehicle away. In addition, water may be electrified from nearby downed lines.
·Use extreme caution when navigating boats in flooded areas around power lines to ensure boats and their occupants don’t come into contact with energized lines.
Keeping customers informed before, during and after a storm is important to Entergy Texas. Here are some of the platforms we use to provide updates:
·Download the Entergy App at entergyapp.com. Customers can use the app to report outages or check on the status of power at their home or business.
·Entergy’sView Outageswebsite includes maps that show where outages are located and gives information about restoration progress.
·Register for outage text alerts through myEntergy. Customers should update their notification preferences to participate in text alerts. Customers also can sign up for text messages about storm and restoration efforts by texting REG to 36778.
·TheEntergy Storm Center website has storm safety, preparation and restoration information that is updated throughout the day.
·Operation: Storm Ready Guide is a free downloadable guide that helps customers plan and prepare for weather emergencies.