IF A TRAFFIC LIGHT IS OUT TREAT THE INTERSECTION AS A 4-WAY STOP!
Practice generator safety. Move generators away from windows and doors.
12 p.m. Saturday —
Officials from Entergy Louisiana, Monroe, West Monroe, and Ouachita Parish updated the region on power restoration timelines for northeast Louisiana following the devastating effects of Winter Storm Fern.
Over 15,000 customers in Ouachita Parish remain without power, down from 92,000 without power earlier in the week.
"This is an unprecedented storm for us in this part of the state," said Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May. "We've never seen this much ice, or this much damage to our system."
May explained that 90% of Entergy customers will be restored by Saturday, January 31st.
Entergy has replaced over 900 utility poles, repaired over 500 miles of transmission line, and replaced or repaired over 200 transformers. May discussed storm damage that continues to raise the number of outages due to more falling trees.
Areas that will not be restored by January 31 include rural Ouachita Parish near Drew, Cheniere, and Cadeville; in Richland Parish near Poverty Point; in Jackson Parish, Jonesboro; in rural areas of Lincoln Parish near Ruston; in East Carroll Parish, Translyvania and Lake Providence; in Bienville Parish, near Saline; in northwest Caldwell Parish; in northeast Madison Parish; and in West Carroll Parish near Epps, Pioneer, and Forest. Entergy will be communicating with customers and local official in those areas to update them on the timeline for restoration.
Restoration efforts may be hampered by high winds in the forecast over the next day or two, which, according to May, may cause additional outages.
Chad McMillan, senior manager for Entergy Distribution, explained that the storm slowed restoration efforts in unpredictable ways, but that crews are working from daylight to dark and overnight to restore power.
At 2: 30 p.m. Thursday - 49,719 Entergy Louisiana customers are without power, 32,779 customers are without power in Ouachita Parish.
On Wednesday Phillip May, CEO of Entergy Louisiana said this is one of the most devastating storms in history. May said the storm rivals many hurricanes. "The task at hand is immense and will take some time. We continue to see damage from falling debris and falling ice. Nearly 5,000 new outages occurred overnight. Best estimates are that power will return in Arcadia January 29, Winnsboro January 30, West Monroe - Jonesboro - Bastrop on January 31." May asked citizens to make sure you do not have damage to your equipment. "This is not the news we wanted to report today, We continue to seek additional resources. I ask you to give our crews some space, they need to get the power back on and will need some time."
Chad McMillian with Entergy said, "The devastation of this ice storm is unlike anything we have seen in this region; damage is widespread. As temperatures rise we are uncovering more damage. Some areas have been repaired and knocked back offline five times."
I-20 East and West has now reopened for travel. Well-travelled roads are cleared. Shaded spots are still treacherous. Numerous trees and power lines are still down across roadways.
Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis said "We are tougher than a three-dollar steak, I have been knocking on doors and doing wellness checks. There are many people working on this widespread disaster. Do wellness checks on your community. Meals are being provided to the community. More information is available on Facebook."
Sean Benton with the Monroe Water Department says the water treatment plant is running at 100% capacity. THE BOIL WATER ADVISORY HAS BEEN LIFTED FOR CITY OF MONROE WATER CUSTOMERS. The city is addressing numerous leaks across the city keeping water pressure lower than normal. Water pressure is coming up in the water system but citizens are asked to conserve water because many lift stations don't have power and sewage is backing up.
West Monroe Mayor Staci Mitchell said the West Monroe Water system is operational and now city crews are addressing leaks as pipes thaw.
Sterlington May Matt Talbert said a man was injured when a building fell on him. The man is alive, but it will be a long road to recovery.
Richwood Mayor Gerald Brown reminded citizens to not clean up until the area is safe from electrical dangers.
Ouachita Parish Police Jury President Shane Smiley thanked lineman. He said the damage is everywhere. We continue to focus on safety. Debris plans are being made. He reminded citizens to not worry about debris until it is safe. The Ouachita Parish has waived electrical reconnect permits.
Ouachita Parish Coroner Marshall Sanson asked residents to "Stay out of the trees, leave that to the professionals."
Do not move limbs entangled with electrical lines. When safe cut debris and bring towards the roadway. City of Monroe trash and garbage schedules are suspended for the remainder of the week. Storm debris will be removed when safe.
Stay tuned to 90.3 KEDM for the latest information and follow us on social media for the latest.
