Entergy expects to clear outages by 4 p.m. today
Entergy Arkansas said Wednesday that it expects to restore service to most of the remaining customers in Garland County who lost power during severe thunderstorms on Easter Sunday before 4 p.m. today, if they can safely take power.
The thunderstorms caused more than 6,600 customer outages in the Hot Springs area, according to an update posted on Entergy’s website on Wednesday. Entergy said late Tuesday the damage was primarily caused by straight-line winds “as strong as tornadoes.”
“Water-saturated ground and the severe winds caused huge trees to uproot and topple onto power lines and broke utility poles in half,” a news release said Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Entergy said the severe storms that swept through the state Sunday and early Monday caused “widespread destruction.”
“Much of the damage to the electrical system was caused by large trees being blown over, falling onto power lines and causing the most outages Entergy Arkansas has experienced since the 2000 ice storms. So far, crews have found more than
1,000 locations where electric system damage has occurred, including 1,130 poles and 200 transformers that need to be repaired or replaced,” it said.
Entergy said in its early morning update on Wednesday that 349 customers were without power in the Garland and Montgomery counties areas, down from just over 6,600. By 1 p.m., those numbers had dropped to
43 in Garland County and 15 in Montgomery County.
Customers who lost service earlier Tuesday on South Malvern Avenue south and west of Lakeview Golf Club had their service restored later Tuesday evening. “This outage was required to safely make needed repairs to damaged areas identified (Tuesday),” Entergy said.
“Should you have structural damages and or damages to your electrical service connection equipment please ensure all repairs are completed to avoid any further service delays. Please ensure you work with local building and electrical code enforcement organizations to avoid any service delays associated with inspection and permitting requirements,” the release said.