Hey guys. I'm gonna be absent from the boards for a little while. I'm on the way with several crews from my company to help restore power to the folks affected by Katrina. I'm a little bit nervous considering my wife is eight months pregnant, but look forward to the opportunity to serve the people that have been devastated by this hurricane. Maybe we can make life a little bit easier for these folks if we can get the power back up.

Joe

From the Entergy Webite regarding storm impact on their transmission and distribution system:

Hurricane Katrina

August 31, 4:00 pm Update

Hurricane Katrina Electrical outage numbers at 4:00 p.m.:



Entergy continues its recovery effort today after the worst storm in the company’s history. Resources from around the country are arriving in the Entergy service territory giving a boost to the strengthening restoration effort.

Hurricane Katrina has crippled Entergy’s electrical system within the City of New Orleans and extensively damaged the electrical system throughout Louisiana and Mississippi.

• Entergy has restored power to nearly 182,000 customers, while nearly 910,000 remain without electrical service. The company expects a long and difficult restoration in the aftermath of the extensive damage caused by Katrina.

• Entergy continues its recovery effort today after the worst storm in the company’s history. Resources from around the country are arriving in the Entergy service territory giving a boost to the strengthening restoration effort.

• Hurricane Katrina has crippled Entergy’s electrical system within the City of New Orleans and extensively damaged the electrical system throughout Louisiana and Mississippi.

• Entergy expresses its condolences to New Orleans residents for the massive damage and loss of life brought by this hurricane. The company sincerely appreciates the patience of its other customers in patience and understanding during this emergency time.

• Customers who smell natural gas must leave the area immediately. Gas lines in the New Orleans area have been severely damaged by Katrina’s extraordinary destruction. It may be several days before crews can gain access to these areas due to flooding and other obstacles.

• Entergy has 9,000 line and vegetation workers, plus support, committed to restoring service. More personnel are arriving and Energy continues working to bring in additional restoration personnel. But neighboring utilities were hit hard by Hurricane Katrina and also are seeking additional help.

• Entergy knows customers want accurate information that will help them make decisions to keep their family safe. Post-storm assessment takes time after a severe storm, but as soon as the company has reviewed the extent of the damage to electrical facilities in your area, power restoration forecasts will be provided through the news media.

• The mass evacuation from the Metro New Orleans area has put extreme pressure on all housing options and fuel availability. Crews that we have sent in to some of the stricken areas are sleeping in their trucks. Public facilities such as parking lots, schools, etc. are also being used by relief agencies and or other public entities to handle the public evacuation.

• Fuel trucks that we would normally depend on are being directed by federal and state agencies to support their public emergency needs first, leaving us short of fuel in some areas to support our restoration crews.

• Communications services, including telephone, cellular and the company’s internal radio communications system, are stressed with high traffic and the loss of some of the towers.

• Brackish water flooding in the City of New Orleans is expected to significantly impact substation restoration, delay damage assessment and delay restoration in the City.

• Entergy will concentrate on restoring service in areas where it is not inhibited by flood waters or other obstacles. The company will work toward the harder hit areas as the company gains access to those areas.

• Customers will experience extended power outages. The severe damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to Entergy’s system will require weeks to rebuild. Flooding, blocked access or other obstacles will hamper restoration. Entergy crews and contractors are prepared to work long hours, restoring service to customers as quickly and as safely as possible.

• Entergy sincerely appreciates its customers’ patience and understanding during this emergency time. Entergy utility operating companies have contributed the majority of their local restoration workers to help restore service in Louisiana and Mississippi. Entergy will maintain sufficient personnel in the donor areas to handle emergencies, but the company will be slower responding to regular business needs.

• Customers have asked how they should pay their bills due to the crisis in New Orleans. Customers should mail their Entergy payments as normal, which Entergy is re-routing to an alternate facility.

• Entergy follows a restoration plan that concentrates on getting service restored to essential customers first, like hospitals, police, fire, communications, water, sanitary services and transportation providers. Then, Entergy crews turn their attention to making repairs to electrical facilities that will return service to the largest number of customers in the shortest period of time, then the next largest number and so on until power is restored to everyone.

• Entergy has put more people on the phones and more crews in the field to provide frequent status reports to local news media to make sure customers are well informed. Entergy is recognized in the industry as having one of the best-trained storm restoration teams in the county. The company has a well-rehearsed plan of action, which will be taxed due to the magnitude of this restoration.

• Entergy reminds customers to remain safe and stay away from downed power lines and flooded areas. Do not walk in standing water and do not venture into areas of debris, since energized and dangerous power lines may not be visible.

• Customers choosing to use portable electric generators should do so in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Customers must never connect a generator directly to a building’s wiring without a licensed electrician disconnecting the house wiring from Entergy’s service. Otherwise, it can create a safety hazard for the customer or Entergy’s linemen working to restore power. And it may damage the generator or the house wiring.

• Entergy restoration workers continue to work safely. Two minor medical attention incidents have been reported.

• At 4 p.m., Entergy’s transmission system had 108 lines and 124 substations out of service.

• The transmission system in south central Mississippi is 25 percent restored. Most of the outages in this area were related to fallen trees and debris. Restoration of the areas south of Jackson and the metro Jackson area are progressing well.

• The transmission system in the Baton Rouge area, is 50 percent restored. Most of the outages in this area were related to fallen trees, debris, and minor structural damage.

• Transmission is working hard to restore service for pumping, sanitation, and housing facilities in the Central Business District of New Orleans as well as the west bank of Jefferson Parish. Aerial damage assessments should be substantially complete by the end of the day. However, access to flooded facilities is limited and preventing detailed assessments. Restoration of the transmission system in this area is progressing well except in the areas impacted by flood waters, which includes over thirty substations in the New Orleans area. Brackish water flooding in this area is expected to impact substation restoration due to damaged equipment.

• Transmission service is expected to be restored within the next few days for most transmission facilities except for the areas affected by flooding.

• Although transmission service has been restored to certain areas, work continues on the electric distribution system to restore power to customers.

• Hurricane Katrina leaves behind the largest number of power disruptions for a single event in the company’s history.

• The number of reported customer outages peaked in Mississippi and Louisiana at nearly 1.1 million. The outage total has more than quadrupled the previous Entergy single event record of 270,000, set only last month during Tropical Storm Cindy. The record prior to that was 260,000 following Hurricane Georges in 1998.