Restoration end is near

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September 24, 2008

Anonymous The Port Arthur News Wed Sep 24, 2008, 07:58 PM CDT

By Amy Moore

The News staff writer

Of the 392,600 Entergy customers who were without power after Hurricane Ike, just over 1,000 customers remain unconnected.

In just short of two weeks, Entergy has reconnected 98 percent of the company’s customers using over 14,000 workers from across the nation.

Other customers — 7,300 to be exact — still have not been reconnected, but won’t be because of the significant damage from Ike.

Debi Derrick, with Entergy, said power cannot be restored to customers whose homes are damaged, flooded or in need of major reconstruction.

“We recognize the particular devastation suffered by those living along the coast,” Joe Domino, president and chief executive officer of Entergy Texas, Inc., said. “Entergy will not abandon those customers. We will deliver the power that will help you rebuild.”

In both the High Island and Bolivar Peninsula areas, the company’s electrical distribution systems will have to be completely rebuilt. Derrick said crews began work Wednesday to reconstruct an 18-mile power line from Winnie to High Island, a project expected to be complete within six weeks. As many as 200 workers will be involved in the project.

Some customers are still living in Port Bolivar, where the Crystal Beach and Gilchrist communities were located. The company is considering different options for those who plan to rebuild, including ways to provide a temporary power source until power lines can be reconstructed. A temporary power source can likely be in place in about four weeks, but a power line may not be in place for several months.

“We are working with our state and local governmental agencies to determine our options and firm up our plans for providing service to these areas,” Domino said.

Of the 14,000 additional workers who were brought into the area to assist in reconnecting the communities, Derrick said many are being released.

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