BEAUMONT, Texas — Nearly 50,000 Entergy customers awoke to darkened homes and businesses Friday after severe storms moved through Southeast Texas overnight.
The power outages increased throughout Thursday night and into Friday morning as several inches of rain, lightning and winds gusting up to 60 mph moved through Southeast Texas according to a news release from Entergy.
At 8:30 a.m. Friday morning 47,000 Entergy customers were in the dark.
The storm damaged some high voltage transmission lines which could take longer to repair, the release said.
Entergy spokesperson Kacee Kirschvink said most of the damage to power lines is in the Port Arthur area. She also said the damages is like what is usually caused by a hurricane.
Entergy gave an update on how long it will take to restore power at 6:44 p.m. May 10.
Expected restoration times:
- Orange, Vidor - 10:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11
- Dayton – 8 p.m. Sunday, May 12
- Winnie – 10 p.m. Monday May 13
- Port Arthur/Mid County Network – 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14
- Beaumont – 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14
While Entergy has crews out working to restore power the company urges all residents to treat any downed power line as if it is active. The company is using 13 air boats to assess the damage and over 500 contractors are working to restore power, Kirschvink said.
The company has requested assistance and help from other utility companies is on the way, according to the release.
MORE | Entergy Outage Map
MORE | Entergy Storm Center
RELATED: CLOSINGS | Several school districts close Friday as storms dump rain on Southeast Texas overnight
Weekend storms leave flooding, damage across Southeast Texas
From Entergy news release Friday, May 10 at 6:44 p.m.:
Entergy continues power restoration efforts following last night’s storms, as near hurricane-force winds, severe lightning and flooding has caused massive destruction to the electrical system.
“The impact to our equipment in some areas is more consistent with damage we see following minor hurricanes rather than a typical thunderstorm,” said Stuart Barrett, vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas, Inc.
Winds were reported at more than 70 miles an hour in some areas overnight, with most of the damage experienced in the Port Arthur, Mid County, Winnie, Orange, Vidor and Beaumont areas.
“Crews are continuing to restore power, and we expect all customers to be restored by Tuesday, said Barrett. “While we work to restore power, we are also closely monitoring another round of potential severe weather on Saturday night.
“We know how vital electricity is for our customers, and we are doing everything we can to safely restore it,” Barrett added. “The amount of damage is significant, so we appreciate your patience, as our dedicated employees work as hard as they can to get the lights back on.”
Crews have made significant progress around restoring outages today, restoring almost half of the number of customers who lost power overnight. As of 6 p.m. a little over 28,000 customers remain without power, down from more than 55,000 customers at 5:45 a.m.
A majority of the damaged high-voltage transmission lines are expected to be restored overnight, which is a major step in the restoration process.
More than 1,300 workers are working to return power to all customers. However, additional severe weather is expected through Saturday, which could delay restoration efforts and result in additional outages. Estimated times of restoration for all customers who can take power are as follows:
- Orange, Vidor - 10:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11
- Dayton – 8 p.m. Sunday, May 12
- Winnie – 10 p.m. Monday May 13
- Port Arthur/Mid County Network – 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14
- Beaumont – 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14
Updates on individual outages by location are available via the Entergy outage map at entergy.com/viewoutages. A special storm information section also provides more detailed information by network location.
Here’s the process we follow when restoring power:
- When restoring service, safety is our key value and always comes first. Then, restoring power is the next order of business.
- We restore power to critical community infrastructure and essential services such as hospitals, water treatment plants, police and fire stations and communication systems. Then we will concentrate our resources on what gets the greatest number of customers restored the fastest.
- Please refrain from approaching utility workers at the job site because these can be dangerous locations and interruptions will slow their progress.
- We are restoring service even as we continue assessing the damage to our system caused by this storm.
- We know you want your power restored and have been hard at work doing so. As we restore power to critical services, we assess damage and put in place our restoration plan that will restore service to the greatest number of our customers as safely and quickly as possible.
- Our scouts assess damage to determine the exact cause of your outage and how long it will take correct the problem.
In addition, you can make sure your home or business is ready for us to restore your power.
- Check outside your home or business for damage to your electrical equipment.
- If the meter or any of the piping and wires on the outside wall of your home or business is missing or looks damaged, call an electrician to make repairs. · Entergy Storm Center has information to help you know how to spot damages.
Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 450,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $11 billion and more than 13,000 employees.
From an earlier Entergy news release:
High winds and a deluge of rainfall from overnight storms wreaked havoc across the Entergy Texas service area.
As of 8:30 a.m. more than 47,000 Entergy Texas customers were without power. The number of outages steadily increased overnight, as excessive rainfall, continual lightning, heavy winds up to 60 miles per hour and large hail moved across Southeast Texas. More thunderstorms are forecast through Saturday, which could cause additional outages.
Crews are safely restoring power as quickly as possible, but the storm has damaged several high voltage transmission lines, which could take some time to repair. Customers are urged to stay away from power lines, even if they think the line is dead. Contact Entergy immediately to report the situation. For more emergency tips, visit the Entergy Storm Center.
"It's important to stay away from downed power lines because they may still be energized," Stuart Barrett, vice president customer service for Entergy Texas, Inc. "Downed power lines can be deadly. Customers should immediately report these conditions Entergy, regardless of whether they have an outage."
With the first reports of an outage, Entergy begins assessing the damage and then working to repair power lines as quickly as possible. The time it takes to restore service depends on the severity of the damage. Crews are currently assessing damage and will have estimated times of restoration when they have more information. Meanwhile, Entergy has requested mutual assistance from other utility companies, so help is on the way.
As we complete our assessment and continue restoration, we will keep you informed using the following channels:
Download our app for your smartphone at entergy.com/app.
Sign up for text alerts. From your cellphone, text REG to 368374.
Visit the Entergy Storm Center website and our View Outages page. Click the red bar at the top to get detailed information regarding storm restoration.
Follow us on Twitter.com/EntergyTX or Facebook.com/EntergyTX.
Follow updates in your local news media, like radio, television and newspapers.
Here are some things customers can do while power is off to make life more bearable:
Listen to a portable radio for updates on power restoration.
Keep the refrigerator and freezer closed as much as possible. They will keep food cold for up to two days if doors are not opened and closed frequently. Covering the unit with a blanket or other insulating material will help retain the cold. In an extended outage, store food in an ice chest.
Disconnect or turn off major appliances that would go on automatically when power is restored, such as an electric furnace or heat pump, range, electric water heater or television set. When service is restored, there will be less chance of a circuit overload. Leaving a single light turned on will provide a signal of when an outage is over.
Don't plug a portable generator into a wall socket. The power can travel into power lines outside the house and hurt or kill someone, such as a child playing near a dangling power line or a lineman working to restore power.
If power comes back on at your neighbor's house but you are still without service, call 800-9OUTAGE again. You may have experienced a problem in addition to the one that affected your neighbor.
Restoration work can be dangerous. Stay a safe distance away from active work zones and restoration workers on the job. Entergy’s first priority is the safety of the public and our emergency workers.
Please have patience. Our crews are dedicated to restoring service as safely and quickly as possible, regardless of the weather.