On August 27, Entergy companies were supplying electricity to some 2.7 million customers in its four-state service territory of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Two days later, after Hurricane Katrina hammered its way through, almost half of those customers were without electricity. The outages in Louisiana and Mississippi peaked at nearly 1.1 million. That's more than quadruple the number of outages from any previous single event. And that event was Tropical Storm Cindy in July.

If it is an element of the electricity delivery system, it was damaged during Hurricane Katrina. Distribution lines, transmission lines, switchyards, substations, support buildings at generation stations, individual meters on customers' premises.

Rebuilding an electric service delivery system in the wake of the most cataclysmic natural disaster in U.S. history is a daunting task. It requires assembling an army of workers, providing for their food and lodging needs, coordinating work schedules for hundreds of employees. Four days after the storm, Entergy has secured more than 9,000 line and vegetation workers plus support, almost eight times the level during normal operations.

Entergy has been widely recognized and awarded for its outage restoration performance. We have a solid plan that has been captured in written plans and procedures. That plan is drilled each spring and fall - except when a real event overlaps the planned drills. That happens surprisingly often in area that is prone to year round weather-induced outages. There can be hurricanes in summer, ice storms in winter, tornadoes in the spring and severe thunderstorms anytime of year.

Workers from across several business functions have assigned restoration jobs. There is a storm boss who has overall accountability for restoration and resource management. Hundreds of other employees volunteer for such restoration jobs as helping scout for damage during the assessment period and answering customer calls or walk-ins in our customer service centers.

Katrina ups the ante

Hurricane Katrina, however, upped the ante. With Entergy's corporate offices in New Orleans, many of the business processes are supported from New Orleans. That includes computerized transmission monitoring systems, back office accounting functions that support customer services, as well as processes that support employee infrastructure.

The magnitude of the Katrina restoration effort extends well beyond the typical outage restoration scenario. Recognizing that, Entergy Chief Executive Officer Wayne Leonard announced on Aug. 31 the formation of a cross-functional team dedicated solely to the Hurricane Katrina restoration effort. Mike Bakewell, vice president of fossil operations and a seasoned Entergy employee who worked up through the ranks, was tapped for the job. The Business Continuity Team is charged with ensuring the company infrastructure serves to break down any barriers that may impede progress during storm restoration.

Employee Support a Critical Need

Bakewell and his team have another key charge that is unique to Hurricane Katrina. More Entergy employees' lives have been disrupted by Hurricane Katrina than by any previous storm Entergy has experienced. Concurrent with rebuilding the electricity infrastructure, Entergy is taking concrete action to provide resources to help employees rebuild their lives. That includes such practical support as arranging for temporary lodging for employees whose homes have been destroyed and helping to ensure paychecks reach evacuated employees. The need for emotional support is just as important as physical needs, and Entergy is arranging for counseling services for individuals and for work groups.

Before the storm, Entergy had established an external portal Web site to give evacuated employees a source of up-to-date post-storm instructions and information. Also, a toll-free telephone line was established and published in advance of the storm as an information resource. Work continues on what more the company can do to help employees.

Power of Hope

At the end of the first week of the storm and restoration, tremendous progress has been made on all fronts. What remains to be done is equally tremendous. The duration of the effort is impossible to say at this point. Yet, Entergy remains confident that we and our partners are up to the task. Entergy has established a fund, called the Power of Hope, to help customers and employees who were impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Entergy Corporation will launch the fund with a corporate contribution of $1 million. The fund is administered through the Foundation for the Mid-South, and tax deductible contributions to The Power of Hope Fund can be sent to the Foundation at 134 Amite Street, Jackson, Miss., 39201.

Another source of hope to Entergy is the strong support of our business partners. Offers of help have been steady, and Entergy will continue to pull in resources as we identify specific needs.

For far more extensive news on the energy/power visit:  http://www.energycentral.com .

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