Progress Energy Sending Crews, Contractors to Assist in Ike Restoration

Progress Energy is sending more than 800 company and contract workers from the Carolinas and Florida to Texas to assist utilities there with expected damage and power outages from Hurricane Ike. The company’s deployment of 385 employees and 437 contract personnel is larger than deployments made in support of utilities in Louisiana and Texas after... 

Entergy’s Pace of Gustav Restoration Hits Record Level

Entergy Corporation utilities are restoring power to customers affected by Hurricane Gustav at the fastest rate in the company’s history. “We have restored power to more customers in four days than we ever have before. Our restoration rate surpasses that accomplished following either hurricanes Katrina or Rita,” said Randy Helmick,... 

Oil industry tallies up damage from Gustav

Initial inspections of the Gulf Coast’s extensive energy complex confirmed Tuesday that Hurricane Gustav was nowhere near as destructive as Katrina and Rita three years ago, but resumption of production and refining may be a few days away, or more. Oil companies, rig and pipeline owners and refiners spread out across the region to look for damage... 

Entergy Warns of Precarious Power Island Situation in Southeastern Louisiana

Entergy’s transmission system has sustained extremely severe damage from Hurricane Gustav, damage that could make power restoration a difficult and slow process, especially in southeastern Louisiana. In terms of power outages, Hurricane Gustav was the second worst in Entergy’s 95-year history, peaking at about 850,000 early Tuesday —... 

Atmos Energy Crews Responding to Louisiana Storm Damage

Atmos Energy has more than 350,000 customers in Louisiana and crews are out in force to determine the extent of damage to facilities and make repairs. Although most natural gas facilities are underground, some have been damaged by trees that were uprooted from the strong winds. Even if a tree hasn’t been toppled—but was moved by the winds—people... 

Storm Surge From Hurricane Gustav Has Potential to Overtop New Orleans’ Levees

A strengthening of Gustav to a category 4 hurricane as forecast, could produce a storm surge of between 13 and 18 foot, and may overtop some floodwalls and levees in New Orleans if it were to hit the city, according to catastrophe risk experts, Risk Management Solutions (RMS). This would set a critical test of whether they could handle such a powerful...