METAIRIE, La. - As Ida initially made landfall in Louisiana two weeks ago as a Category 4 hurricane, OG&E crews were already en route to assist with restoring power. The crews were dispatched to Jefferson Parish, in and around Metairie, on August 29 to help restore power for Entergy Louisiana customers.
Status of OG&E’s response effort in Louisiana:
• More than 270 OG&E crew members, including line crew members, vegetation specialists, support staff have been deployed
• More than 50 OG&E trucks were sent to Jefferson Parish communities
• Crews are working 16-hour days, including a commute from their Lafayette-area lodging
• Crews completed one of three circuits they are working in the area, and have made great progress on the other two
“Our crews mobilized to join the response effort six days ago, immediately after the damage occurred, to help bring their power back online – removing obtrusive and damaged vegetation, and repairing downed lines, poles and transformers,” said Andrea Dennis, OG&E VP of Transmission and Distribution Operations. “We know that restoring electricity is critical to helping the residents of Jefferson Parish and surrounding communities begin to address the damage and return to working and caring for their families.”
According to Entergy, more than 904,000 of its customers across Louisiana were without power due to the storm at the outage’s peak. Among the strongest hurricanes to hit the U.S. mainland, Ida’s windspeeds of up to 150 mph damaged thousands of power poles and more than 5,000 transformers, leaving residents without power during the heat of summer. High water and debris have limited crews’ access to some of the hardest hit areas, many of which were also in the path of Hurricane Isaac in 2012.
“With the level of damage we are seeing, it would take months for one company to repair on its own,” Dennis said. “One of the most rewarding aspects of our jobs is the opportunity to have an immediate, positive impact upon the lives of individuals who are experiencing loss and disaster. As part of our mutual assistance program, OG&E is proud join the 21,000 workers from utility companies outside of Louisiana who have answered the call to assist.”
The mutual assistance OG&E crews are currently providing in Louisiana is one of many missions the utility has accepted over the years to contribute the expertise and resources of its restoration teams in areas that are experiencing natural disasters. In turn, Oklahoma residents benefit from the same mutual assistance in the aftermath of large, local storms.
