ntergy is making storm preparations in both Louisiana and Texas, where Tropical Storm Francine is threatening to become a hurricane, bringing heavy rain, storm surge, and possible tornadoes to the Gulf Coast.
“As we do with any storm that threatens our service territory, we’re taking Tropical Storm Francine very seriously and have activated our methodical storm response process,” said Steven Benyard, vice president of reliability for Entergy in Louisiana. “Our goal is to ensure we have the right resources in place to restore power efficiently and, above all, safely.”
Earlier today, MISO declared a Severe Weather Alert effective starting tonight at 8 p.m. EST until Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. EST due to Tropical Storm Francine, which the National Weather Service (NWS) earlier this afternoon forecast will become a hurricane in the western Gulf of Mexico ahead of a Louisiana landfall Wednesday.
Storm surge, flooding rainfall, damaging winds and tornadoes will impact Louisiana and other parts of the Gulf Coast and South, according to NWS.
Entergy’s Louisiana utilities are staging equipment and materials and assembling a storm team of thousands to respond to Francine, the company said.
Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana also urge customers to make final preparations today and to be ready for potential power outages, particularly in south and southeast Louisiana, where the greatest impacts from the storm are expected.
As of Tuesday morning, approximately 1,600 employees and contractors are on the ground in Louisiana, with an additional 3,400 resources requested — bringing the total to around 5,000 personnel, including lineworkers, tree trimmers, scouts, and support staff, according to Entergy.
Additional resources are expected to be arriving this afternoon and into Wednesday morning.
“Customers can rest assured that we are prepared to respond swiftly once it’s safe to begin restoration,” Benyard said, noting that the effects of last year’s drought and other environmental factors on vegetation prompted Entergy’s Louisiana utilities to make a significant allocation for tree trimmers.
For instance, of the 5,000 anticipated resources, roughly 1,400 will be tree trimmers tasked with removing vegetation to allow lineworkers to safely repair and work on electric equipment. This allocation is double the number of tree trimmers used for previous storms, such as hurricanes Isidore and Lili, said Entergy.
The number of resources may change as more weather-related data becomes available and the company’s models provide updated damage predictions.
In addition to making staffing decisions, Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana are completing pre-storm checklists at service centers across the state to ensure readiness, and patrolling distribution and transmission power lines and addressing any identified issues.
The utilities are also securing specialized equipment like track machines and backyard units that may be needed, setting up staging sites, and preparing to receive and integrate both local and out-of-state crews into the Louisiana storm response team.
Most of the rain from Francine is still offshore, said NWS, but some bands have already wrapped into parts of south Texas and the northern Gulf Coast, with some flooding issues at known trouble spots having been reported in Cameron County, Texas, where several locations have already picked up seven to eight inches of rain.
Some minor coastal flooding was reported again overnight Monday night into Tuesday morning along parts of the south Texas coast, NWS said today.
Entergy Texas continues to closely monitor Francine’s progress in the Gulf of Mexico and is also making the necessary preparations ahead of the storm’s landfall.
The most recent forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for a Category 1 hurricane landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday evening, with impacts for southeast Texas.
Entergy Texas crews are prepared to safely turn the lights back on as quickly as possible if needed, the company said.
“Our top priority remains the safety of our customers, employees, and the communities we serve,” said Entergy Texas President and CEO Eliecer Viamontes on Tuesday. “We’ve requested additional resources to help ensure we can respond quickly and efficiently to any potential impacts within our service area.”
As Tropical Storm Francine moves closer to the Gulf Coast, Viamontes encourages all of the utilities’ customers to finalize their emergency plans and “stay informed through various Entergy channels.”
Entergy Texas has about 1,200 storm workers ready to respond, including line workers, vegetation crews, damage assessors, and additional field management teams. The company also requested nearly 800 additional workers from throughout the region to assist with restoration.
Special equipment, such as a marsh digger, high-water vehicles, airboats, and helicopters, also have been requested to help safely expedite the restoration process, said Viamontes.
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