ENTY LOUI MB40 : Entergy's Louisiana Utilities Prepared for Winter Weather

Companies prepared should severe weather system cause north Louisiana outages

BATON ROUGE, La. - Entergy Louisiana, LLC and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. are prepared to respond to any power outages in north Louisiana that could be caused by the winter weather system moving across the state today.

The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for the northern portion of the state as well as parts of Arkansas and Mississippi. As much as an eighth to a quarter inch of ice and isolated areas of snow are predicted to accumulate from Shreveport to the Louisiana/Mississippi border.

"Although this is not a major winter storm like our neighbors to the north saw at Christmas, freezing rain and ice accumulation can pose a significant threat to an electric system," said Jeff Aycock, regional customer service manager in West Monroe. "We are monitoring the weather and are prepared to respond should any outages occur. We encourage customers to download Entergy's mobile app to quickly access outage maps and information."

Entergy officials have been working with the company's weather experts in advance of the storm to better understand the potential risk and prepare accordingly. Entergy's crews are on standby and ready to safely restore power as quickly as possible.

When planning which work will be done first following a storm, Entergy's Louisiana utilities place top priority on restoring service to facilities considered critical. These include hospitals, fire stations, police departments and other public facilities. After critical infrastructure has been restored, crews do the work that will get the largest numbers of customers on as quickly as possible.

"We also urge customers to monitor the storm and prepare to implement their own storm plans if needed," Aycock said. "As with any storm, safety is always our first priority. Customers should call 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) to report downed or dangling power lines, poles or other damaged equipment.

"Customers should not walk in standing water or venture into areas of debris since power lines that could still be energized and dangerous may not be visible," he added. "They also should keep away from metal fences and other objects that can become energized if they come in contact with downed power lines."

Storm-preparedness tips and online services are available to customers through "Entergy Storm Center," "myAccount" and "View Outages." Through myAccount, customers can sign up to send and receive text information about power outages through their cellphones. Customers can also receive alerts about outages at their homes and businesses. To use the service, customers must register a cellphone number to their Entergy account. Registration is simple. From any text-capable cellphone, send the message REG to 368374. The system will respond and ask for an Entergy account number and ZIP code.

Entergy's Louisiana utility companies serve more than one million customers through the operating companies Entergy Louisiana, LLC and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. With operations in southern, central and northeastern Louisiana, the companies are part of Entergy Corporation's electric system serving 2.8 million customers in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas.

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