Houma Native Returns Home to Help the Community
September 8, 2021
All traffic lights on North Canal Boulevard are back operational, Thibodaux Police Department reports
September 8, 2021
Entergy has made tremendous progress yesterday, including bringing the first lights to Thibodaux and the Terrebonne Parish water plant.
Entergy President and CEO Phillip May announced that we are now ten days into restoration efforts and they have officially restored power to 600,000 of the 902,000 customers who have lost power from Ida. Yesterday, they restored 75,000 customers. This restoration includes Thibodaux Regional hospital and the Terrebonne Parish water plant. They also said they are still on track to energize the line to the Houma power plant tomorrow, September 9.
May announced that in Assumption Parish, power has been restored to the Napoleonville post office and they have completed restoration from highway 1 to highway 70.
Entergy will begin their normal command and information centers tomorrow, September 9. These resource centers provide services where customers can ask about their restoration dates and get general help about their billing along with other information. (More information to follow)
May said he would also like to note that as they continue to make restoration, that customers may experience additional outages. Hurricane Ida has made significant damages to the tree canopies, and much of that damage has not been shaken loose. Passing rainstorms and wind can dislodge limbs and branches which can inflict additional damage.
Vice President of Distribution Operations John Hawkins said the crews are continuing to soldier on. Thousands are continuing on the progress that they have made since Ida hit. “I want to take a moment to thank all of the men and women for their tremendous commitment and dedication which has allowed us to restore power to 600,000 of our customers,” Hawkins said. He reported that more than 5,338 poles have been replaced of the more than 30,679 poles that were identified as damaged or broken. They have repaired or replaced 11,025 spans of wire. They have also replaced 1,667 transformers. Excluding the hardest-hit areas, they are planning to be 90 percent restored by today for larger metro areas. This is good news for the bayou region because as these areas are becoming fully restored, resources are being cascaded down to the harder-hit areas.
The Gulf disturbance is moving towards Florida and won’t be a threat to Louisiana; however, Louisiana is still having late summer thunderstorms rolling through that are affecting work. When these thunderstorms come through, linemen have to shelter if lightning is within ten miles of the worksite and if the winds are over 30 mph. Hawkins said that is part of their safety rules and safety is paramount for the company. Once conditions improve, work is being immediately resumed to restore power safely and quickly.
Hawkins said, “Our progress remains steady and we remain committed. As we get areas fully back on, we are moving those crews, we are cascading into the areas that aren’t yet restored. We are working on our plan to get them back on as soon as we safely can.”
Hawkins also advised customers to do their part by making sure homes or businesses are ready to receive power once power is restored. He urges everyone to check for damage to meters, and it if is damaged, you will need to hire an electrician to fix it. Also, an inspection may be needed by the local government if they require one before Entergy can hook power back up homes. If a property has water damage, they are advised to turn off the electricity via either the main fuse box or the circuit breaker. DO NOT step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker. Call a licensed electrician for advice when necessary. A licensed electrician inspection of your property and electric wire may be needed before Entergy can restore power to a home or a business that has water damage from rain or flooding. To keep up with updates, customers can visit www.entergy.com.
