LOUISIANA — Following Hurricane Francine, Entergy has made significant strides in restoring power, but the volume of tree-related damage has made recovery efforts more complex than usual. In fact, dead trees snapping and limbs falling are responsible for several outages, per Entergy.
“Francine was not necessarily different from past storms, but the environmental factors this time were,” said Entergy spokesperson David Freese. He highlighted how last summer’s drought and beetle damage to pine trees has left numerous trees dead, but still upright. Those trees and limbs are what fell onto power lines.
“We knew vegetation would be a challenge, and that’s why we allocated 1,500 tree trimmers—more than double the number we’ve used in past storms like Isidore and Lili.”
At the peak of the storm, 300,000 customers across southeast Louisiana lost power. In less than 48 hours, Entergy managed to restore service to about 65% of affected customers, or roughly 190,000 homes and businesses. However, as of Friday afternoon.,104,000 customers remain without power, with the hardest-hit areas being bayou parishes such as Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption, and Ascension.
Damage assessments have already revealed excessive destruction: 258 broken poles, 474 spans of downed wire, and 63 damaged transformers. These numbers are expected to rise as more assessments are conducted in the southern regions that experienced the storm’s strongest winds.
What makes Francine particularly unique is the role that vegetation has played in extending the restoration times. “Tree damage has been far more widespread than in previous storms,” Freese explained. “In some cases, it’s a quick fix—knocking a limb off the line and flipping a switch. In others, entire trees have fallen, bringing poles and wires down with them. This makes the process far more time-consuming.”
At the transmission level, Entergy has restored 70% of affected line sections, and efforts are underway to repair substations in Gonzales and lower Terrebonne Parish, as well as six transmission line segments.
While many customers will see their power restored sooner, Entergy Louisiana estimates that most of its customers who can safely receive service will have it restored by Sunday night. Bayou parishes like Lafourche, Terrebonne, and Assumption parishes, which suffered from Francine’s highest winds, will experience longer restoration times.
“We understand it’s frustrating to be without power, but the men and women in the field are doing dangerous yet critical work. We’re here until every customer is restored.”
Safety remains a top priority during the restoration process. Entergy reminds the public to stay away from downed electric equipment and to report any hazards to 1-800-ENTERGY.
Additionally, those using portable generators are urged to follow safety guidelines to avoid potentially dangerous situations, such as back-feeding power into the grid, which could put workers at risk.
As Entergy’s restoration efforts continue, the company reaffirms its commitment to work “as quickly and safely as possible” until every customer has their power restored.
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