ENTY LOUI MB40 : Entergy's Louisiana Utilities Monitoring Severe Weather System

Employees mobilized to respond should storms cause outages;
companies encourage customers to be prepared and make safety a priority too

BATON ROUGE, La. - The Entergy utility companies in Louisiana are monitoring the severe weather system that is forecasted to impact the state over the next 24 to 36 hours, and crews are on standby to restore any power outages that the storm may cause.

The National Weather Service has forecasted that a strong low-pressure system will affect Entergy's service territory on Wednesday and Thursday. The system is expected to affect southwestern and northern Louisiana beginning after midnight Wednesday and impact central and southeastern Louisiana on Thursday and Friday.
In Louisiana, the system is expected to bring thunderstorms, heavy rains and high winds, which could lead to power outages. Tornadoes are also possible in some areas.

"While Louisiana is not expected to experience the ice storm forecasted to heavily impact central and northern Arkansas, we are still anticipating high winds and severe weather that could pose a threat to our electric system," said Dennis Dawsey, vice president of Louisiana transmission and distribution operations. "We are monitoring the weather closely 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. We also encourage customers to keep an eye on local weather forecasts, be ready for possible power outages and prepare to implement their own storm plans if needed."

Storm-preparedness tips and online services are available to customers through "Entergy Storm Center," "myAccount" and "View Outages." By downloading Entergy's mobile app, customers also can quickly access outage maps and other account, storm and safety information.

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.

As with any storm, safety is always Entergy's first priority for employees and customers. Customers should call 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) to report downed or dangling power lines, poles or other damaged equipment, or utilize the "Report Safety Hazards" button on the Entergy Louisiana Facebook page.

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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