Gulf Coast utilities get ready for storms Marco and Laura
Utilities throughout the Gulf Coast region are preparing for back-to-back storms – Tropical Storms Marco and Laura — that are bearing down on the area this week.
Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana have 3,400 personnel — including crews, contractors and support personnel – at the ready to restore power and gas services quickly and safely to customers should outages occur. Further, the companies have moved equipment that sits in low-lying areas to higher ground. Also, high-water vehicles and drones have been secured should they be needed during any restoration efforts. Crews will continue to practice social distancing while in the field.
“Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura, combined with the pandemic, create a potential triple threat to Louisiana,” John Hawkins, vice president of Entergy distribution operations for Louisiana. “This has been an unprecedented year for everyone, but I’m confident we have the resources and manpower necessary to successfully respond to what is another unique set of challenges. We urge everyone to have plans in place and be storm ready. We will get through this together.”
Also, Entergy Texas has a storm team ready to restore power quickly should outages occur.
“These storms Marco and Laura, combined with the pandemic, create a potential triple threat to southeast Texas,” Allen East, vice president of distribution for Entergy Texas, said. “This has been an unprecedented year for everyone, but I’m confident we have the resources and workers necessary to successfully respond to what is another unique set of challenges. We urge everyone to have plans in place and be storm ready. We will get through this together.”
Further, Cleco, an energy company that serves about 288,000 customers in Louisiana through its subsidiaries, has secured 700 line mechanics and approximately 350 vegetation specialists in preparation for the storms. Cleco has also made arrangements for logistics like lodging and fuel and has specialized equipment like drones, off-road, and high-water equipment ready for deployment.
“Cleco prepares year-round for severe weather events, and hurricane season is no different,” James Lass, director of distribution operations and emergency management, said. “Our storm teams are activated, and we are securing additional resources and equipment. We are prepared. While we are ready to respond, we have had to put additional safety measures in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic. To help our crews, we ask our customers to be mindful of social distancing and make every effort to avoid work zones.”
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), an association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies, says its member companies are equipped to handle the storms’ impact.
“EEI’s member companies in the path of these storms have activated their emergency response plans to make sure that they are ready to restore power to customers as quickly as possible once it is safe to do so,” EEI Vice President of Security & Preparedness Scott Aaronson said. “We are preparing, and we urge customers to take these storms seriously and to prepare, too.”
EEI recommends that customers pay close attention to local weather reports, develop an
emergency plan, call their local emergency management office to discuss necessary arrangements, have an emergency outage kit stocked and readily available, and make sure to include masks or face coverings and hand sanitizer, and heed all evacuation warnings and know all evacuation routes. Also, make sure to include pets in your evacuation plan, stock up on non-perishable food, water, medications, and know what to do in case of a power outage.
Marco was downgraded to a Tropical Storm on Monday, but both could strengthen before landfall.
