Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Entergy Has Few Problems

Fewer than 400 Entergy Arkansas customers lost power as a foot or more of snow fell on parts of the state Thursday afternoon and evening night. Preparing for the worst, Entergy had called in thousands of work crews to repair damage if it happened.

"We're very pleased that the system held up to the storm as well as it did," said Entergy Arkansas Customer Service Manager Diane Tatum.

"We attribute the lack of significant damage to two things: the quality of the snow it wasn't the sort of precipitation that clings onto trees and power lines and to the aggressive tree trimming efforts we have made over the last year or so," Tatum said.

Unfortunately, about 75,000 Entergy customers in northern Louisiana, where the precipitation was more icy and less snowy, lost power Thursday night.

Of the 3,600 line crews and tree trimmers Entergy had mobilized, some have been sent back to their normal work locations, and many have been sent to repair storm damage in northern Louisiana, particularly in Arcadia, Bastrop, Jonesboro, West Monroe and Winnsboro.

Entergy reminds customers that the Voice Response Unit (VRU) is the fastest way to report a power outage. To report a power outage, Entergy customers in Arkansas should call 1- 800-968-8243. When you enter your phone number or Entergy account number with the VRU, your information is immediately sent electronically to dispatchers who are responsible for assigning repair crews.