Storm response is a meticulously orchestrated production that Entergy trains and drills for year-round. Well before a storm strikes, employees transition to storm roles and prepare to support service restoration.
Crews recently gathered in Jefferson Parish to undergo training and test the installation of concrete and composite utility poles. These materials are alternatives to wood poles that are in high demand across the country as utility companies ramp up grid hardening efforts.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week is here.
Even though several lines had to be de-energized during the flood event, most customers never lost power because of the looped design of Entergy’s electrical system.
Despite the extensive damage, crews were able to restore power to all customers who could receive it within a week of the storm. Engineers also used the rebuild as a chance to strengthen the grid and prepare Rolling Fork for greater resiliency during future storms.
With water levels creeping higher by the hour, the company decided to take six substations out of service as a safety measure and focus on protecting two that could be saved with levees—the Old Canton Road Substation serving northeast Jackson and the South Jefferson Street Substation serving the downtown area.
In a matter of seconds, the tornado demolished Entergy’s 115,000-volt Southwest Jackson Substation and severed six major transmission lines and numerous distribution lines, prompting crews to work around the clock until full service was restored.
After 1994, Entergy started transitioning to a more centralized approach to storm response that included leveraging resources across the company’s four-state area to accelerate service restoration.
A hundred years ago, Arkansas businessman Harvey Couch was making good on his vision to electrify the South when he incorporated The Mississippi Power and Light Company, the precursor of Entergy Mississippi. His new venture not only brought modern electric service to the Mississippi Delta—the heart of the state’s agricultural economy—but also unlocked future growth opportunities in a region rich with potential.
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