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Entergy Texas continue to progress with its restoration efforts in the after math of Hurricane Laura.  As of 4 p.m., Entergy Texas has 100,130 customers without power.  This is reduction in peak outages of 291,000 including outages related to the storm plus the periodic outages that occurred as a result of damage to the transmission lines.

A major accomplishment last night included energizing a major transmission line, including 60 breakers that were returned to service last night about 10:30 PM.  This allowed approximately 80,000 additional customers to be restored last night.  Around this time, MISO, the grid operator for our region, cancelled the request for periodic power outages.

Entergy Texas was also successful of adding additional generation to the grid to help stabilize the transmission grid.  We are also coordinating efforts to use emergency ties we have with ERCOT.

Entergy Texas has deployed approximately 7,000 workers in the impacted areas and is making repairs including broken poles, wire down, pole equipment and damage from fallen trees.  Entergy Texas employees and contractors continue to follow COVID-19 procedures to ensure the safety of our work force.

Entergy Texas estimates that all customers who can take power in the Beaumont, Port Arthur and Silsbee surrounding areas are expected to be restored by Sunday, August 30, and Groves Monday, August 31 and the Orange area is estimated by Friday, September 4. However given the extent of damage these times may change as our crews assess the damage.

Beaumont

As of 4pm, there are 26,500 customers without power in the Beaumont area.  Additional workers have been brought to the area to assist with restoration in Beaumont, China, Bevil Oaks and Sour Lake. Damage assessments are approximately 50% complete and crews have identified 22 poles down, 6 transformers blown, and nearly 10,000 feet of wire that need replacement. Servicemen have been working and making repairs in:

• South Beaumont – Spindletop RV Park, Boondocks Road at Burrell-Wingate Rd, Potts St near Southerland St;
• Central Beaumont – Old Town, near the Avenues areas;
• North Beaumont – off East Lucas, off Helbig Rd, areas near Homer Drive Elementary, near Babe Zaharias stadium;
• West Beaumont – near West Lucas and Delaware, along Highway 105, near Caldwood, and Central Drive;
• Bevil Oaks – Countrywood subdivision

Orange

As of 4pm, 38,700 customers are without power. The Orange network suffered the greatest damage from Hurricane Laura. Transmission is in the process of accessing a transmission line serving the area.  Scouts are investigating all the feeders, but due to rain, storms, and extended travel time not everything has been scouted.  Total assessment is 25% complete and we have inspected 15 substations and 41 feeders. As of 2:30PM, 6 of the 15 substations have transmission feed/voltage and of the 41 feeders, 11 are energized. The substations that have power today are in the western portion of Orange and Vidor areas.  Other damage found includes poles down, wire down and blown transformers.  There are 70 contract line crews assisting with the restoration effort.  Specific locations in restoring power includes Major Fire Station, Critical Care Customers (Life Support), Nursing Home, Major Police Station.

Port Arthur

ETI continues to make safe progress restoring power in the Port Arthur Network.  Severe damage to critical electrical structures in these areas resulted in over 33,000 outages.  Scouts have assessed 20% of the damaged areas and expect 50% by the end of the day. There are currently 24 station breakers opened and once they are closed, 15,000 customers who can take power should be restored.  Currently, there are 325 lineman, 150 vegetation workers, 200 scouts assisting with the restoration effort and additional resources are due to arrive August 29, 2020.    Critical customers should be on or restored by the end of the day.

Silsbee, Kountze, and Lumberton

As of 4pm, there are around 659 customers without power in Silsbee, Kountze, Lumberton and surroundings areas. Damage assessments are 80% complete. There are approximately 128 workers in the area to restore power to Entergy customers. The assessment has revealed there are approximately 6 downed poles, 2 damaged transformers, 15 downed trees, 5700 feet of downed wires, and 36 broken crossarms. Other servicemen will be working in Rose Hill Acres, in Lumberton off Highway 96 around Raider Lane and East Chance Cutoff. In Silsbee, workers will be working around Matthews Rd, Wilson Lane and Old Evadale Road areas.

Woodville and Warren

As of 4pm, there are around 124 customers are without power in Woodville, Warren and surrounding areas. Damage assessments are 95 % complete. There are approximately 20 workers in the area to restore power to Entergy customers. The assessment has revealed there are approximately 4 poles down, 2 damaged transformers, 1 downed tree, and 3000 feet of downed wiring. Servicemen are working in the Warren and Doucette areas.

For the safety of our crews, please stay away from their work zones. If you need to report a problem with your service or get bill payment help, we’re just a phone call away: 1-800-ENTERGY.

For additional preparation tips and updates visit www.entergy.com/stormcenter

As with any weather event, please be mindful of the following safety tips:

• Live wires can be deadly. Stay away from downed power lines. Call 1 800 9OUTAGE or1 800 968 8243 to report downed or dangling power lines, poles or other damaged equipment.
• Do not trim trees or remove debris on or near downed power lines. Only power company crews or their contractors should remove trees or limbs touching power lines.
• Keep away from the immediate areas where crews are working. There is always the danger of moving equipment and the possibility of construction materials or limbs or overhead wires falling to the ground.
• If you plan on using a generator for temporary power, get a licensed electrician and disconnect from the utility electric system before hooking up to your home main electric panel.
• Do not run a generator in a confined space without adequate ventilation.
• Avoid using candles or other flammable devices to warm your home.
• Check on seniors, who can be particularly susceptible to extreme temperatures.
• Try to stay off the roads in affected areas. More traffic in bad weather leads to more accidents, including more injuries and fatalities as well as accidents that can damage electrical poles and other equipment, creating outages and impeding the ability of crews to access and repair damage and slowing restoration.
• We want to keep you informed and in control so here is the best way to get information about outages in addition to the View Outage application:
  • Download our app for your smartphone at entergy.com/app or visit entergystormcenter.com to stay informed on our restoration progress. Android users who have difficulty accessing the app on their smartphones can get information from the mobile version of our site at entergy.com.
  • Sign up for text alerts by texting REG to 36778 and have your account number and ZIP code handy. The registration pattern is as follows including spaces: REG (account number) (ZIP code). Once registered, text OUT to 36778 to report an outage. You can also report an outage online as a guest.
  • Follow us on Twitter.com/Entergy or Facebook.com/Entergy.
  • Follow updates in your local news media, like radio, television and newspapers.