BATON ROUGE, La. – Entergy Louisiana said Wednesday its crews have restored power to more than 50,000 customers following this week’s winter storm, representing more than half of all customers affected at the height of the outages.
The company reported that damage assessments are nearly complete, allowing crews to fully shift focus to repairs. So far, Entergy Louisiana has identified damage to approximately 800 utility poles, 2,600 spans of power line and 190 transformers.
Officials urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel to keep roadways clear for restoration teams. Heavy traffic has slowed crews’ access to work sites and delayed their return to rest locations after extended shifts.
“Our crews are working long and demanding days, and every effort to keep roads clear helps them restore power more safely and efficiently,” the company said in a statement.
Entergy said logistics and support teams are coordinating behind the scenes to deliver materials, deploy generators to critical facilities and arrange lodging for restoration workers. The company thanked local communities for offering space and assistance during recovery efforts.
Customer Support and Restoration Timeline
To assist residents in heavily affected areas, Entergy Louisiana will open Customer Information Centers from Jan. 30 through Jan. 31. Visitors can access outage updates, hot meals, assistance program information, mobile device charging and in-person support from Entergy representatives.
Centers will operate at the following locations:
- West Monroe Community Center, 400 S. 5th St., West Monroe (8 a.m.–5 p.m.)
- Bastrop City Hall, 202 E. Jefferson Ave., Bastrop (8 a.m.–5 p.m.)
- General Trass High School, 700 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Lake Providence (Thursday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.)
Entergy expects to restore service to 90 percent of customers in several parishes by Jan. 29, including Bienville (western), Lincoln, Natchitoches and Red River. Additional parishes such as Concordia, Franklin, Grant, LaSalle, Richland (southern) and Tensas are projected for Jan. 30. The remaining areas, including Union, Jackson, Ouachita, Madison and others, are expected by Jan. 31.
Safety and Repair Guidance
Customers whose power remains out after nearby service has been restored may have damage to electrical equipment attached to their homes or businesses. Entergy said it cannot reconnect service where meter bases, conduits or weatherheads are damaged, and that such repairs must be made by a licensed electrician before power can be safely restored.
For safety reasons, residents are asked not to approach crews at job sites. Restoration follows a sequence prioritizing hospitals and other essential facilities, and crews may need to complete upstream repairs before returning to local neighborhoods.
To prevent fatigue-related risks, Entergy said personnel work no more than 16 hours within a 24-hour period and take regular rest days after extended assignments.
Community Safety and Information
The company advised customers to stay aware of safety risks, including downed power lines, generator hazards and cold-weather dangers. Residents in need of shelter can find open warming centers through the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) at gohsep.maps.arcgis.com. Road conditions are available at 511la.org.
Entergy also warned customers of potential scam activity following the storm, reminding them that the company does not demand immediate payment by phone.
For ongoing updates, customers can visit entergy.com/stormcenter, use the Entergy mobile app, or text “OUT” to 36778 for outage reporting.
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