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.
Although Couch died in 1941, the foundation he had established in Mississippi helped position the company to meet the post-World War II surge in electricity demand and the accelerated pace of business and industry expansion.
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.
Last week, I toured parts of the Entergy Mississippi service area that were devastated by the recent tornado outbreak, including Rolling Fork, Silver City and Winona. It was destruction that I have never seen in my time at Entergy or in my personal life as a Mississippian.
More than 1,250 crew members worked safely and quickly to restore service to the nearly 44,100 customers who were impacted by two severe weather events.
Restoration is complete in Clinton, Jackson, and Vicksburg for all customers that can safely receive power.
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