Utility crews restore power to nearly 85 percent of customers hit by Hurricane Delta
More than 18,500 workers from at least 20 states have restored power to nearly 85 percent of customers impacted by Hurricane Delta as of 8 a.m. Monday.
The category 4 major hurricane made landfall last week, causing damage in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, leaving nearly 824,000 people without power.
It is a massive turnaround less than four days after the storm’s landfall, aided by coordination between industry and government through the CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC). Still, this leaves around 126,000 customers without power.
“We know that being without electricity creates hardships, and we appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding,” Edison Electric Institute (EEI) said in a statement. “We also know that many customers impacted by Hurricane Delta also were impacted by Hurricane Laura, and our thoughts and prayers are with them. Electric companies will not stop their storm restoration efforts until the last customer who can receive power is restored.”
EEI noted that such efforts follow a long process, beginning with an assessment of damage and moving to service. Crews sometimes cannot access the most heavily damaged and flooded areas until they have been deemed safe. Once they do, their primary focus is returning service to the largest number of residential and business customers quickly. Smaller groups and individuals often have to wait longer in the wake of those major repairs.
COVID-19 safety protocols could also slow things down.
Still, utilities like Entergy and SWEPCO have moved swiftly and netted significant progress as a result. Entergy Louisiana, LLC crews restored power to approximately 255,000 customers as of 4 p.m. Monday — 80 percent of its affected customers. Approximately 65,000 customers remained without power at the end of the day, primarily in southwest Louisiana.
“We know that this storm season has been difficult for many of our customers, some of whom have been affected by both hurricanes,” Phillip May, president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana, said. “We have once again marshaled an unprecedented response to a destructive hurricane, bringing in thousands of workers to get the lights back on. We ask for your patience as our employees, contractors, and mutual aid partners complete restoration work. Together, we will overcome this storm too.”
The Category 2 Hurricane Delta hit the state merely six weeks after Hurricane Laura, the effects of which are still being felt. Despite this, Entergy Louisiana expects most customers to regain power by Thursday, Oct. 15, though some customers in the hardest-hit areas may not see restoration until Friday, Oct. 16.
As of 3 p.m. Monday, SWEPCO had restored power to approximately 77 percent of its 23,300 impacted customers. Work is focused on restoring power to 1,100 customers in the Natchitoches, La., area, and to its 4,400 impacted customers in the Hornbeck, La., area.
“We continue to make significant progress and expect to complete restoration by the end of the day Tuesday for 95 percent of customers who can take power,” Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Region Distribution Operations, said. “We are continuing our drive to restore power to all customers as safely and quickly as possible, with more than 1,000 line, tree and personnel at work.”
In most cases, the damage was caused by a mix of saturated grounds and high winds that brought about falling trees and limbs and took out powerlines.
