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Insights > Entergy Louisiana storm update – 5/18/24, 10 a.m.
Entergy Louisiana storm update – 5/18/24, 10 a.m.
05/18/2024
Entergy’s Louisiana storm team has restored power to more than 90,000 customers statewide after 80-plus mph winds and a tornado impacted the southern region late Thursday night. While many customers will be restored sooner, crews anticipate restoring power to most customers by tomorrow night. A list of estimated times of restoration by parish is provided below.*
As of 10 a.m., approximately 6,600 customers remain without power, with a small portion of that number affected by this week’s third round of weather, which is exiting the state this morning. Portions of Acadiana, the River Parishes between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Jefferson Parish and Tangipahoa Parish bore the brunt of the second wave of storms.
Yesterday, crews restored power to a large number of customers through various utility efforts, including isolating damaged portions of the electric system, switching efforts within impacted substations and restoring transmission sources. The transmission system, which consists of larger high-voltage power lines and substations, provides power to the distribution system and must be energized so that crews can energize the distribution system, which includes smaller infrastructure typically seen along neighborhood streets.
Today, additional crews will arrive in some of the hardest-hit areas to support existing teams on the ground, performing tasks like tree trimming, setting new poles, and installing new transformers, crossarms and other electric equipment. As the team enters day five of this week's restoration efforts, a workforce of more than a thousand has been mobilized to restore power to homes and businesses.
At least five tornadoes have impacted Entergy’s Louisiana service territory this week. The latest one, confirmed by the National Weather Service as an EF-1 with winds of up to 105 mph, impacted the Romeville area just north of Convent in St. James Parish. There, scouts found significant damage to the company’s distribution system, including broken poles and downed power lines.
At this stage in the restoration, crews are handling many individual jobs that can take time and may only restore power to a few customers at a time. This is especially true for the more rural and heavily wooded areas of Tangipahoa Parish, where access to damaged equipment can be challenging and require preliminary tree-trimming work before line work can begin. Additionally, crews are focused on restoring a transmission line impacted by a tree in the New Iberia area during the third wave of inclement weather.
Some customers may have damage to the electric equipment attached to their homes or businesses and may need to contact an electrician to make repairs before Entergy can reconnect service. If your electric equipment appears undamaged, text OUT to 36778 or call 1-800-9OUTAGE.
Estimated Times of Restoration by Parish
While many customers will be restored sooner, the timeframes below describe when crews expect to have most customers who can safely accept electric service restored.
- Tomorrow morning, May 19 – Tangipahoa and Acadiana parishes
- Tomorrow night, May 19 – Eastbank of Jefferson Parish and River Parishes
