Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Severe rainstorms and strong winds caused widespread outages across the Entergy Texas service area Wednesday morning, especially in Port Arthur, which was also struck by a tornado.

Entergy officials said crews are working around the clock to turn the lights back on — restoring power to more than 77 percent of customers within 12 hours of the storm’s initial impact.

As of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, approximately 5,893 customers are without power, a decrease from the 26,125 customers without power at 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Most customers should be fully restored before the end of day, but customers in the hardest hit areas could experience extended outages, Entergy said.

Customers are encouraged to visit Entergy’s View Outage map for the most up-to-date information and estimated restoration times.

Stay safe: 

We urge customers to use caution after the storm and remember these important safety tips:

• Stay away from downed power lines and areas of debris. Energized power lines may not be visible among the rubble. Report downed lines immediately to Entergy at 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243), and call your local police station or fire department.
• Return home only when authorities advise and drive only on roadways and bridges that have been declared passable.
• If a power line falls on your vehicle while driving, continue to drive away from the line.
• Don’t walk in flooded areas or standing water. Remember that wet tree limbs can conduct electricity.
• Keep your distance from working crews. Work sites can have any number of hidden dangers for the public, and distracting crews can cause accidents to happen.

Stay informed: 

Keeping customers informed before, during and after a storm is important to Entergy Texas. Here are some of the platforms we use to provide updates:

• Entergy’s View Outages website includes maps that show where outages are located and gives information about restoration progress.
• Register for outage text alerts through myEntergy. Customers should update their notification preferences to participate in text alerts. Customers also can sign up for text messages about storm and restoration efforts by texting REG to 36778.