Officials give updates on storm
MADISON- Issues on Highway 51 continue though current estimates say the roadway is expected to open to traffic this afternoon with thousands still without power in Madison County, officials said.
As of Thursday morning, 3,496 Entergy customers were without power in Madison County according to Entergy spokesperson Sandy Powlett.
Highway 51 in Madison was closed this morning around 8 a.m. from Tisdale Road to Green Oak Lane as Entergy continues to make “great progress” with repairs, Madison police Lt. Micah Taylor said. An announcement from MPD said Highway 51 is expected to be back open to normal traffic by early afternoon, April 11.
“There are still areas in Madison that remain without power but Entergy is making great strides and are hopeful to have all power restored to our area by the end of the day tomorrow,” MPD said.
At peak, 33,600 customers have lost power from the damaging storms throughout Entergy’s coverage area in the state, Entergy spokesman Candace Coleman said as of 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, there were 25,853 customers without power in Mississippi.
“Severe thunderstorms, hail, lightning and high winds that passed through the state Tuesday night and continued throughout Wednesday caused extensive damage to our facilities across Entergy Mississippi’s service area,” Coleman said.
A workforce of damage assessors, vegetation crews, line workers, and support personnel are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible, Coleman said. Additional workers have been requested with some of those resources en route.
Damage assessment is 44 percent complete and has identified damages to 107 poles, 420 spans of downed wire, 19 transformers and 46 cross arms.
“Many customers will be restored this evening,” Coleman said Wednesday evening. “However, due to the severity of damages and the widespread impact, many customers in the areas of Natchez, Brookhaven, Clinton, Vicksburg, Jackson, Madison, Rankin, Carthage, Cleveland, Indianola, Charleston, and Senatobia will carry over tonight. As we continue to complete our damage assessments and repairs, restoration times will be updated.”
If you are without power, check for damage to the electrical equipment attached to your home or business. If your power is out and your electric equipment appears undamaged, call 1-800-9OUTAGE, 1-800-968-8243.
Entergy Mississippi, LLC provides electricity to approximately 459,000 customers in 45 counties. Entergy Mississippi is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 electric company. Entergy powers life for 3 million customers through our operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees. For the latest news from Entergy Mississippi, visit the Newsroom and connect with @EntergyMS on social media.