Behind the Scenes: Hidden Heroes Supporting Entergy’s Storm Restoration Efforts

Three days after Hurricane Francine made landfall, Felton Coleman, manager of Entergy’s Louisiana Distribution Operations Center, stood in a Baton Rouge facility that few know about but that plays a crucial role in restoring power after storms. With hands on the table, Coleman listened intently as his team discussed the latest steps being taken to help restore power to customers across Louisiana.

“Everything dealing with Entergy’s electric distribution system in Louisiana flows through here,” Coleman explained. “It’s the nerve center and the heartbeat of our grid. We’re managing a huge amount of information to ensure restoration efforts move efficiently and, most importantly, safely for the frontline workers in the field.”

Inside what Coleman calls the “switch room” and “operating floor,” workers sit in front of large computer screens that display real-time data on Entergy’s electric grid. Brightly colored lines and shapes flash across the screens, giving them instant visibility into the system across the state. In these rooms, dozens of employees analyze the data and coordinate next steps in the restoration process.

During storm recovery, the operations center is divided into sections that each focus on different regions affected by outages. Operations coordinators, floor leads and supervisors collaborate to form a chain of command, assessing outages and determining how best to address them.

Breakers and smart devices located at the top of utility poles relay information back to the center, giving the team a real-time view of field conditions. Two-way communication flows constantly between operators at the center and crews in the field. Crews assess the damage, and if necessary, request “switching orders” — a sequence of steps taken to safely deenergize or isolate parts of the grid so that tree trimmers and lineworkers can safely remove debris, make repairs and restore power.

Thanks to the teamwork between frontline workers and those behind the scenes, Entergy has impressively restored power to more than 90% of customers in less than three days after Francine. “It takes everyone, those in the field and at our command centers, working together in unison with our control centers toward the same goal of getting the lights back on,” said Coleman.

Much like the crews on the ground, the employees at the distribution operations center work 16-hour days and play a crucial role in the restoration effort. “When a storm hits, it’s a commitment to being here until every customer has power back ON,” Coleman added.

But it’s not just the workers at the distribution operations center who are the hidden heroes of the storm restoration process. Behind every lineworker or tree trimmer, there are hundreds of employees, contractors and support personnel working in various command centers across Entergy’s service territory. Teams from planning, resource management, logistics and customer service ensure that frontline workers have meals, lodging, fuel and the necessary supplies to complete their assignments.

At its peak, Entergy’s storm response team for Francine swelled to more than 8,000 people, all working together to help customers regain a sense of normalcy.