storm center > hurricane laura - texas update

hurricane laura - texas update

08/27/2020

hurricane laura made landfall as a category 4 late wednesday night and early thursday morning. the storm brought heavy rain, strong winds and coastal flooding to portions of east texas and southwest louisiana. entergy texas was heavily impacted primarily in the beaumont, port arthur, orange and silsbee. as of 8:00 a.m., entergy texas has 102,500 customers without power. 

entergy texas has begun our storm response efforts to move crews into affected areas and will be assessing damage throughout the day. crews will begin restoring power where it is possible to do so. given the intensity of this storm and the additional need for our crews to follow covid-19 precautionary measures, hardest hit areas may experience extended outages.  restoration times will be updated as assessments are completed. 

while entergy texas was spared the worst of hurricane laura’s impact, certain areas still suffered significant damage and we will need time to fully assess that damage. 

entergy currently has a storm team of thousands coming from 20 states to quickly and safely respond to any impacts from laura in texas. 

for the safety of our crews, please stay away from their work zones. if you need to report a problem with your service or get bill payment help, we’re just a phone call away: 1-800-entergy. 

for additional preparation tips and updates visit www.entergy.com/stormcenter

as with any weather event, please be mindful of the following safety tips:

  • live wires can be deadly. stay away from downed power lines. call 1-800-9outage or 1-800-968-8243 to report downed or dangling power lines, poles or other damaged equipment.
  • do not trim trees or remove debris on or near downed power lines. only power company crews or their contractors should remove trees or limbs touching power lines.
  • keep away from the immediate areas where crews are working. there is always the danger of moving equipment and the possibility of construction materials or limbs or overhead wires falling to the ground.
  • if you plan on using a generator for temporary power, get a licensed electrician and disconnect from the utility electric system before hooking up to your home main electric panel. 
  • do not run a generator in a confined space without adequate ventilation.
  • avoid using candles or other flammable devices to warm your home. 
  • check on seniors, who can be particularly susceptible to extreme temperatures. 
  • try to stay off the roads in affected areas. more traffic in bad weather leads to more accidents, including more injuries and fatalities as well as accidents that can damage electrical poles and other equipment, creating outages and impeding the ability of crews to access and repair damage and slowing restoration.
  • we want to keep you informed and in control so here is the best way to get information about outages in addition to the view outage application:
    • download our app for your smartphone at entergy.com/app or visit entergystormcenter.com to stay informed on our restoration progress. android users who have difficulty accessing the app on their smartphones can get information from the mobile version of our site at entergy.com.
    • sign up for text alerts by texting reg to 36778 and have your account number and zip code handy. the registration pattern is as follows including spaces: reg (account number) (zip code). once registered, text out to 36778 to report an outage. you can also report an outage online as a guest.
    • follow us on twitter.com/entergy or facebook.com/entergy.
    • follow updates in your local news media, like radio, television and newspapers.

texas editorial team