Tropical Storm Harvey, now a hurricane, began affecting Southeast Texas Friday night and continues causing new power outages for Entergy Texas customers. Harvey is expected to move farther inland near Galveston on Wed., Aug. 30, as a 50 mph tropical storm. Additional outages are expected as the storm moves through.
At 2 p.m., Aug. 28, more than 31,000 Entergy Texas customers were without power. Crews are safely restoring power as quickly as possible, but continued wind, rain and flooding are having an impact on restoration efforts.
Entergy has brought in additional restoration workers to Texas. As with most restoration efforts, Entergy is focusing on restoring power to essential services first, and then the effort will focus on restoring service to areas where the greatest numbers can be restored fastest. This is how we approach things at this stage:
Essential services such as hospitals, nursing homes, fire and police departments, and water systems are at the head of the restoration list, along with our equipment that supplies electricity to large numbers of customers. "Then, we'll concentrate our resources on getting the greatest number of customers back the fastest," Entergy released in a statement. "We can't use our bucket trucks until sustained winds are less than 30 mph, but we can still begin restoring service to customers by closing circuit breakers, rerouting power and other actions."
Beaumont
There are currently 3,154 customers without power in the Beaumont area. Damage is primarily due to trees falling on power lines, and there are access issues to some locations due to flooding. Pinewood is currently inaccessible due to flooding, so restoration efforts will resume when waters recede and it's safe to keep working.
Conroe
There are 4,351 customers currently without power in the Conroe, Willis, Montgomery and surrounding Lake Conroe areas. Assessment of the area is 40 percent complete, with additional scouts arriving. Total assessment will be completed by today or early tomorrow. Areas of Conroe near 336 Loop westbound, as well as some surrounding areas, are currently inaccessible due to severe flooding. Damage in these areas includes broken poles, damaged transformers, wires down and trees on power lines. Additional workers will be arriving in Conroe tomorrow to assist with restoration.
Cleveland
There are currently 5,549 customers without power in the Cleveland area. Crews are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible given the current weather conditions.
Dayton
There are currently 825 customers without power in the Dayton area. Flooding is having an impact on restoration efforts with many areas inaccessible due to high water, including Hwy 90 at the Huntsman Plant, Klemp Rd, Hwy 1409 along the Trinity River, Hwy 90 east of town going to the river, some areas of Hwy 770 in Daisetta and Raywood and part of Hwy 146 south of Dayton is closed. Lake Livingston is reporting a record amount of water to be released, which will further impact restoration. Currently, there are approximately 28 workers in the Dayton area, including Batson, working to restore power. These crews have a high water vehicle and a boat to assist with outage restoration.
Huntsville
The Huntsville area currently has 2,443 customers without power. The majority of outages in Huntsville are due to a transmission line issue. Additional workers have been brought into the area to assist with restoration, but some crews are encountering delays due to high water and unsafe road conditions.
Navasota
There are currently 80 customers without power in the Navasota and Somerville areas. Flooding is an issue with gaining access to Plantersville and Highway 30 towards Singleton.
New Caney
There are 7,240 customers currently without power in the New Caney area. Crews have begun to restore power. However, most areas remain inaccessible due to high water conditions. A large number of outages are due to a fallen tree and broken poles.
Orange
Currently there are 217 customers without power in the Orange area. Although the streets remain accessible, high water has had an impact on restoration efforts. Crews are working to restore scattered outages with additional workers en route. Restoration crews are currently on Glenwood Street in Vidor at this time. Dependent on weather conditions, most areas will have power restored by tonight.
Port Arthur
There are currently 229 customers without power in the Port Arthur and Mid-County areas. Entergy scouts are currently out patrolling the area to provide a better assessment of the outage situation. Additional crews have been brought in to assist with the restoration efforts.
Silsbee, Woodville
There are currently 748 customers without power in the Silsbee and Woodville areas. Additional crews are arriving today to assist with restoration of these areas.
Winnie
There are currently 69 customers without power in the Winnie area. All customers have been restored where there is not a flood water access issue. Complete restoration will occur once waters recede and it is safe to do so.
The Woodlands
There are 269 customers currently without power in The Woodlands and South Montgomery County Area. Assessment of the area without power is 40 percent complete, with additional scouts arriving. Total assessment will be completed today. Entergy currently has restoration workers on the ground, with additional workers expected to arrive in the Conroe area today. The focus today will be assessing damage including areas of Oak Ridge North, Shenandoah and The Woodlands. Additional focus today will be placed on restoration where access is possible. Damage in these areas includes broken poles, flooded and damaged transformers, wires down and trees on power lines.
