Hurricane Ida Update

After Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, La., on August 29 as a Category 4 hurricane, it quickly devastated the Gulf Coast region, but the destruction didn’t stop there. The storm continued to wreak havoc as it made its way across the Northeast — now responsible for dozens of deaths, leaving more than a million people without power, and creating unbelievable flooding issues across southern New England.  

According to an update from the U.S. Department of Energy released on September 2, as of 5 a.m. EDT, Post-Tropical Cyclone Ida was 130 miles east-northeast of New York City, moving northeast at 28 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. Following are highlights from the DOE updates. EC&M will continue to update this news item as more information becomes available.

Electricity Sector Summary

• As of 8 a.m. EDT on September 13, there are approximately 164,000 customer outages remaining in Louisiana due to Ida.
• While the New Orleans and Baton Route metro areas are mainly restored, some harder hit and increasingly rural locations, are days to weeks away from restorations.
• Near complete restoration is expected for Livingston, St. James, St. John, and Entergy’s service territory in Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes by September 17.
• Near complete restoration for the hardest hit areas in the southeast Louisiana, including portions of Assumption, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St Charles, Terrebonne, and lower Jefferson parishes are expected to extend into the latter half of September. Utilities have encountered extensive damage that will require rebuilding the system, as opposed to just a restoration. Damage to customer-owned equipment must be repaired by a qualified electrician before utilities are able restore power.    

September 10, 2021

• As of 8 a.m. EDT on September 10, there are approximately 245,000 outages remaining in Louisiana due to Ida.
• While the New Orleans metro area is now largely restored, more of the harder hit and increasingly rural areas may be days to weeks away from being restored.
• Near complete restoration for the hardest hit areas in the southeast Louisiana, including portions of Assumption, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St Charles, Terrebonne, and lower Jefferson parishes are expected to extend into the latter half of September. Utilities have encountered extensive damage that will require rebuilding the system, as opposed to just a restoration. Damage to customer owned equipment must be repaired by a qualified electrician before utilities are able restore power.    

September 9, 2021

• As of 8 a.m. EDT on September 9, there are approximately 299,000 outages remaining in Louisiana due to Ida.
• Entergy expected that the vast majority of customers in New Orleans Parish who could safely accept power would be restored by late evening September 8. Damage to customer owned equipment must be repaired by a qualified electrician before utilities are able restore power.
• Near complete restoration for the hardest hit areas in the southeast Louisiana, including portions of Assumption, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St Charles, Terrebonne, and lower Jefferson parishes are expected to extend into the latter half of September.    

September 8, 2021

• As of 8 a.m. EDT on September 8, there are approximately 378,000 customer outages remaining in Louisiana due to Hurricane Ida.
• Entergy is working to restore the transmission system serving New Orleans, which was damaged during the storm, causing outages to most of the city. Full restoration in New Orleans East and Orleans Parish is expected September 8, although many customers are expected be restored before end of day. Baton Rouge was expected to be fully restored by September 6.
• Near complete restoration for the hardest hit areas in the southeast Louisiana, including portions of Assumption, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St Charles, Terrebonne, and lower Jefferson parishes are expected to extend into the latter half of September.    

September 6, 2021

• As of 8 a.m. on September 6, there are approximately 573,000 outages due to Ida, including 568,000 customer outages remaining in Louisiana.
• Entergy is working to restore the transmission system serving New Orleans, which was damaged during the storm causing outages to most of the city. Full restoration in New Orleans East and Orleans Parish is expected September 8 and full restoration to Baton Rouge is expected September 6, although many customers will be restored before this date.
• Near complete restoration for the hardest hit areas in the southeast Louisiana, including portions of Assumption, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St Charles, Terrebonne, and lower Jefferson parishes are expected to extend into the latter half of September. 

September 5, 2021

• As of 7 a.m. EDT on September 5, there are approximately 664,000 outages due to Ida, including 660,000 customer outages remaining in Louisiana.
• Entergy is working to restore the transmission system serving New Orleans, which was damaged during the storm causing outages to most of the city. Full restoration in New Orleans East and Orleans Parish is expected September 8 and full restoration to Baton Rouge is expected September 6, although many customers will be restored before this date. Restoration timelines for the hardest hit areas in the southeast corner of the state extend into the latter half of September.     

September 3, 2021

• As of 7 a.m. EDT on September 3, there are approximately 928,000 outages due to Ida. 866,000 customer outages remain in Louisiana, with approximately 46,000 additional outages in the Northeast.
• As of the morning of September 1, Entergy restored power for some customers in eastern New Orleans with generation supplied by the New Orleans Power Station. Entergy is working to restore the transmission system serving New Orleans, which was damaged during the storm causing outages to most of the city.
• Restoration efforts are nearing completion in the impacted regions. Estimated restoration times will be established once damage assessments are complete.     

September 2, 2021

• As of 7 a.m. EDT on September 2, there are approximately 1.2 million storm-related outages. Approximately 920,000 customer outages remain in Louisiana due to Ida, with an additional 230,000 outages in the Northeast after remnants of Ida passed over the region.
• As of the morning of September 1, Entergy had restored power for some customers in eastern New Orleans with generation supplied by the New Orleans Power Station. Storm damage to the transmission system serving New Orleans, Louisiana has caused outages to most of the city.
• Utilities are conducting damage assessments and restoration efforts are underway, as conditions permit. Damage assessments of most locations should be complete by September 2. Estimated restoration times will be established once damage assessments are complete. Utilities in the impacted area pre-staged crews, equipment, and materials, and mutual assistance networks are supporting restoration efforts.