Electric companies mobilize more than 10,000 workers in anticipation of Hurricane Delta
As Hurricane Delta, a 120 mph Category 3 hurricane, heads toward the Gulf Coast on Friday, Entergy, SWEPCO, Duke Energy, and other electric companies are preparing workers to respond to the impending damage.
The storm is headed for Louisiana, which is still reeling from where Hurricane Laura wreaked over $14 billion in damage and killed 26 people in August. Delta is expected to make landfall this evening, though high winds have already begun, and storm surge threat is high.
“Restoring power to our communities following severe weather is what we do,” said John Hawkins, vice president of distribution operations for Entergy in Louisiana. “We’re prepared to respond to Delta, and we want our customers to be as well. Please continue to monitor local weather alerts, follow guidance from state and local officials, and have a plan in place for you and your families that has safety as a key ingredient.”
Entergy’s Louisiana utilities have around 10,000 employees and contractors formed into a storm team and prepared to respond. They noted this could be adjusted depending on the storm’s size, path, and intensity. This could include work before, during, and after the storm, although the company has previously worked to storm harden its overall system. That has included utilizing steel transmission structures by the coast, elevating substations to discourage flooding, and installing isolation devices on lines as a method of reducing outages.
Much of that transmission system was rebuilt following Hurricane Laura’s impact on southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas.
Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) is also digging in, activating its storm teams and requesting an additional 900 line and field personnel to respond to power outages, according to Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of distribution region operations.
“The storm may impact the same area so heavily damaged by Hurricane Laura in August. We are prepared to get the lights back on as safely and quickly as possible, and we want our customers to be prepared,” Seidel said.
For Delta, local utility crews will not be working alone, though. Florida Power & Light (FPL), Duke Energy, and others have dispatched assistance.
FPL has sent more than 450 employees and contractors to aid both Entergy and American Electric Power with restoration efforts. Duke Energy has sent more than 300 lineworkers and support staff from across North Carolina and South Carolina and 165 crew members from Florida to help with the power outage response in Louisiana, company officials said on Twitter.
“We know how critical it is to get assistance from other utilities after a hurricane and to preposition crews ahead of time,” Eric Silagy, FPL president and CEO, said. “As Floridians with lessons learned from decades of storms, we believe this tried and true process of having boots on the ground before a storm hits is the fastest way to restoring power as soon as it is safe to do so. In this historically active season, it is a good reminder that we must never let our guard down and always work together to help each other in the aftermath of natural disasters.”
