Entergy Making Preparations Ahead of Storms
By: Lauren Trager, KARK 4 News
Updated: February 19, 2013
Many Arkansans may already be saying 'here we go again' ahead of winter storms in the forecast.
And Entergy Arkansas is already telling customers they need to be prepared to be back in the dark.
Their crews are getting ready. At the peak of the Christmas Day storm close to 200,000 Entergy customers were without power. Officials say they just can't say yet if it will be that bad. They are hoping for the best, but they're bracing for the worst.
"All we could do was lie there that night and listen to them crash," said Little Rock homeowner Gary McElmurray.
McElmurray says being in the cold and dark is a not so distant memory.
"We were some of the lucky ones we were only out 3 and a half days," said McElmurray.
Tuesday, ahead of more winter weather, contractors hired by Entergy got their pre-storm preparations off the ground.
Tying strong knots to scale trees in McElmurray's neighborhood, they snip branches with long pruners or bring in the chain saws for thicker limbs hanging dangerously near power lines.
Even lighter branches, though, they say can easily snap brittle lines once there's a layer of ice.
"We didn't hear there would be ice accumulation before the Christmas storm so that's a major difference," said Sally Graham with Entergy Arkansas.
Graham says they plan to be very prepared.
Already 300 extra linemen have committed to be in the state. They expect 200 more to arrive before the storm.
With some lessons learned from Christmas, they're making lists and checking them twice.
"We are checking stockpiles of materials, we are checking circuit maps and making sure the crews that are in the areas have chains for their bucket trucks," Graham said.
In the meantime, McElmurray is watching the skies and his favorite forecasters, fully expecting to have to stay in a cold, dark house, once again.
Entergy is asking their customers to prepare too: charge smartphones, get extra batteries, etc.
They also encourage you to use the internet and social media to stay ahead of outages.
To learn more about how to do that, click here.
And Entergy Arkansas is already telling customers they need to be prepared to be back in the dark.
Their crews are getting ready. At the peak of the Christmas Day storm close to 200,000 Entergy customers were without power. Officials say they just can't say yet if it will be that bad. They are hoping for the best, but they're bracing for the worst.
"All we could do was lie there that night and listen to them crash," said Little Rock homeowner Gary McElmurray.
McElmurray says being in the cold and dark is a not so distant memory.
"We were some of the lucky ones we were only out 3 and a half days," said McElmurray.
Tuesday, ahead of more winter weather, contractors hired by Entergy got their pre-storm preparations off the ground.
Tying strong knots to scale trees in McElmurray's neighborhood, they snip branches with long pruners or bring in the chain saws for thicker limbs hanging dangerously near power lines.
Even lighter branches, though, they say can easily snap brittle lines once there's a layer of ice.
"We didn't hear there would be ice accumulation before the Christmas storm so that's a major difference," said Sally Graham with Entergy Arkansas.
Graham says they plan to be very prepared.
Already 300 extra linemen have committed to be in the state. They expect 200 more to arrive before the storm.
With some lessons learned from Christmas, they're making lists and checking them twice.
"We are checking stockpiles of materials, we are checking circuit maps and making sure the crews that are in the areas have chains for their bucket trucks," Graham said.
In the meantime, McElmurray is watching the skies and his favorite forecasters, fully expecting to have to stay in a cold, dark house, once again.
Entergy is asking their customers to prepare too: charge smartphones, get extra batteries, etc.
They also encourage you to use the internet and social media to stay ahead of outages.
To learn more about how to do that, click here.
