Hurricane Harvey is expected to cause power outages across the Texas Gulf Coast, and Entergy Texas crews will be ready to respond when needed.
In addition to high winds and storm surge, massive flooding, prolonged thunderstorms and possible tornadoes could cause catastrophic damage. Entergy Texas has called on additional crews to assist with restoration efforts.
Harvey’s track following landfall will determine how long it may take to restore power across the Entergy Texas region. Entergy expects it could take longer than expected to restore service due to heavy rains and flooding. Flooding conditions and high winds can slow down the power restoration process.
“We’re planning for a long storm over the next week. That means we could see longer-than-normal outage restoration resulting from the effects of several days of heavy rainfall,” said Vernon Pierce, vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas. “Coupled with hurricane-force winds, a heavy amount of damage could occur from toppled trees, broken poles and downed electric wires.”
The National Weather Service predicts as much as 30 inches of rain could fall in some areas, making many roads impassable and dangerous.
Entergy Texas, Inc. has opened its emergency operations center in Beaumont, and Entergy Corporation will open its System Command Center later today. Staging areas are opening to house equipment and crews are on standby to respond as soon as it is safe to do so.
Customers should take extreme caution in the storms and be watchful of downed power lines – especially looking out for those that may be concealed by storm debris.
“The most important thing during and after a storm is to stay safe,” Pierce said.
