Entergy crews head east to respond to Hurricane Ian’s aftermath

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Entergy announced over 820 restoration workers are heading to Florida to support a safe restoration effort in anticipation of widespread damage from Hurricane Ian.

The National Hurricane Center reported the storm is expected to make landfall on the west coast of central Florida as a major hurricane early Thursday morning.

Ian poses the highest risk from Forth Myers to the Tampa Bay region.

The storm’s hurricane-force winds will likely cause life-threatening storm surge, flooding and significant damage to areas hit the hardest.

“Lending a helping hand during a natural disaster is what we do. We mobilize crews to support our friends and neighbors throughout the country, just as so many other utilities have done for us over the years, most recently with hurricanes Laura and Ida,” said James Wood, senior manager of incident response.

According to Entergy, sending crews to help is part of a long-standing mutual assistance agreement where utilities support one another in times of need.

When requested by a utility company, Entergy will send as many workers as they can spare while keeping enough at home to meet the day-to-day needs of Entergy customers.

Wood continued, “As with every storm response, our crews work as safely and quickly as they can to restore power after severe weather strikes. We remain storm-ready should additional resources be needed, and we’re eager to get to work safely restoring power to those impacted by Ian’s path.”

Starting Wednesday, Oct. 28, Hurricane Ian is expected to bring heavy rainfall and potential flooding across the Florida Keys and South Florida, then move into central and northern Florida in the following days.

For the latest updates on Hurricane Ian, visit nhc.noaa.gov.

Customers impacted by Hurricane Ian should place their safety first and follow local emergency plans that have been established by state and local government.

Because hurricane season doesn’t officially end until Nov. 30, Entergy says customers should stay alert and safe by having a personal disaster plan and an emergency kit ready year-round.

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