Entergy shares lessons it learned from Gustav

After Hurricane Gustav left 829,000 Louisiana customers in the dark in September, New Orleans-based Entergy outlined lessons learned today at its hurricane preparedness event. CEO/President Renae Conley says the utility company is beefing up communications with local officials, working on better informing customers on when power might be restored, and fine-tuning logistics to better mobilize help from assisting companies. Conley says Entergy’s also doing more to educate customers on trimming trees to avoid power outages. The company trims trees in public right-of-ways, but she says the problem often comes from untrimmed trees outside of them. “Baton Rouge was a very difficult restoration for us with traffic congestion and downed trees,” she says. “Baton Rouge ranked No. 1 in tree canopy, which is beautiful, but it wreaked havoc on the power system.” Gustav cost Entergy $590 million to restore power in Louisiana. Some 165 companies from 27 states assisted the company after the storm.—Anna Thibodeaux