Power restoration efforts gain momentum after Ida

After eight days of restoration work, crews across southeast Louisiana have restored power to more than half of all customers who were affected by Hurricane Ida.

Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans have restored a combined 457,000 customers out of the 902,000 that lost service, according to an Entergy statement. Entergy New Orleans has restored nearly 70% of customers impacted.

The damage from Ida’s historic intensity caused severe damage across the Entergy system in southeast Louisiana. The eye wall, which brings the most damaging winds and rainfall, caused damage to 30,679 poles, 36,469 spans of wire and 5,959 transformers.

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“We have made significant progress in getting the lights back on for our customers in spite of all the challenges we are facing,” said John Hawkins, Entergy’s vice president of distribution operations.

“Our crews are encountering massive damage – particularly in the hardest-hit areas. We have assembled a storm team of nearly 26,000 people who will not stop until the last light is back on. I want to thank our customers for their patience as we work to restore power to our communities.”

Restoration efforts were made easier due to fortified levees and floodgates that were launched after Hurricane Katrina successfully protected New Orleans from maximum flooding.

Read more about the levee system: New Orleans levees passed their first major test

The $14 billion Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System strengthened 133 miles of perimeter around New Orleans and surrounding areas to protect it from storm surge and pump out excess water.