Entergy Louisiana provides updated restoration estimates

As of 1 p.m., approximately 65,000 customers remain without power, down from a peak of 91,500 outages.

Ice storm damage is often hidden, and much of the damage cannot be fully identified until ice melts and temperatures rise. While warming conditions support restoration progress, they also expose the full extent of the damage for the first time, including weakened trees, compromised poles and stressed power lines that may fail after initial repairs. Updated estimated restoration times reflect these evolving challenges and unfavorable conditions.

As of 10 a.m., crews have identified damage including approximately:

• 700 utility poles
• 2,300 spans of wire
• 170 transformers

Restoration crews continue to make progress, but conditions remain dangerous and unpredictable as ice-related hazards persist and new risks emerge daily. Lingering ice continues to threaten both workers and the public, even as weather conditions improve.

In addition to ice accumulation, crews are working in extreme cold, with wind chills creating a heightened risk of hypothermia, frostbite and other cold-related injuries. Lineworkers are spending long hours outdoors, handling metal equipment, climbing poles and performing precision work that cannot be rushed without compromising safety.

As road conditions improve and traffic returns, crews are seeing an increase in vehicle-related incidents. In one incident, road conditions caused a digger derrick truck to roll over. In another, a vegetation truck was totaled after large sheets of ice fell from a hotel roof. Ice continues to shed from roofs, trees and other structures, creating ongoing hazards for anyone working or traveling below.

Crews are working in environments where energized power lines may be concealed beneath layers of ice and snow. As damage assessments continue, workers are replacing broken utility poles, reattaching downed and damaged wires, and repairing or replacing that support power lines.

Current conditions are also causing new and repeated outages. In some cases, crews may temporarily restore power to an area only to uncover additional damage that was not initially visible. When this happens, power must be turned off again so crews can safely complete further repairs. In other situations, temporary repairs are made to restore service as quickly as possible, followed by brief outages later to complete permanent, long-term repairs.

In one area, crews were required to restore power five separate times as additional damage was uncovered during repairs. Situations like this can extend restoration timelines and lengthen workdays, while still requiring crews to follow mandatory rest periods that are critical for worker safety.

To support customers and restoration workers, Entergy has deployed generators to critical facilities, staged materials throughout affected areas, and established housing for lineworkers and mobile command centers to coordinate restoration efforts.

We appreciate our customers’ patience as crews continue this complex and dangerous work as safely and quickly as possible. Entergy will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available. More detailed, parish-by-parish restoration timelines are available at entergy.com/stormcenter.

Estimated restoration times by parish*

*Please note, estimated restoration times reflect when 90% of customers in a given parish are expected to be restored.