Thousands had no power after Mississippi June storms. Here's what Entergy reported

Brian Broom, Mississippi Clarion-Ledger
·4 min read

For some, it was like a nightmare. A rash of severe storms over a period of weeks slammed Mississippi in June leaving paths of destruction and thousands without power.

The storms also left electricity provider Entergy answering to the Mississippi Public Service Commission about its restoration response following a barrage of complaints from customers.

"Throughout that 3-week period in June, the phone started ringing early in the morning," said Brent Bailey, Central District commissioner. "Phone calls and texts were coming in until midnight.

"I got hundreds of calls. Customers went through a challenging June. It (storms) really did a fair amount of damage to the distribution system. There were some folks that lost power three times in that event. A gentleman in my office lost power for eight days. We heard a lot of stories of frustration."

The commission tasked Entergy with filing a report on its restoration response, which was filed on Aug. 22. In the report, Entergy summarized the challenges it faced in June.

The Mississippi Public Service Commission is currently reviewing a report from Entergy on its power restoration efforts during the June severe weather outbreak that left thousands without power.
The Mississippi Public Service Commission is currently reviewing a report from Entergy on its power restoration efforts during the June severe weather outbreak that left thousands without power.

Weather challenges Mississippi faced in June

  • According to the report, the National Weather Service in Jackson issued 221 severe thunderstorm warnings, 14 tornado warnings, seven flash flood warnings and 21 severe thunderstorm or tornado watches in June.

  • June 2023 set the record for most June tornadoes ever recorded in the State of Mississippi. According to the NWS, there were 19 tornadoes in June.

  • Wind damage was reported on 14 days of the month. Damaging winds were widespread and cumulative.

  • Mississippi endured several cases of hurricane-level winds measuring 80-plus mph and straight-line wind gusts as high as 90 mph in Warren and Hinds counties in the early morning hours of June 16.

  • The NWS reported higher winds in Jackson, Mississippi during June 2023 than during Hurricane Katrina.

  • The impact of the June 2023 storms alone exceeded total storm damage for the year of 2022, with the June 2023 storms causing the most damage to Entergy’s system in the Jackson metro area since Hurricane Katrina.

Weather impacts and response

According to Entergy's report, trees were by far the biggest culprits in both number of minutes customers were without power and the number of outages. Lightning was the second biggest cause.

Entergy explained in the report that millions of dollars are spent annually in tree trimming, but many of the outages were caused by trees outside of their right-of-way.

Unpredictability of storms was also an issue. The report said while storms were predicted in briefings throughout June, the severity was often more than expected. The repeated storms also slowed or halted restoration efforts at times due to safety issues.

Communication with customers suffered a failure, though. Entergy reported that its automated messaging system that sends updates on outages was overwhelmed and slow. There were also issues with its online power outage map.

"Communications did not meet expectations of the customers," Bailey said. "I think there can be measures taken to improve communications throughout the year."

Commission to continue analysis of storm response

Bailey said Entergy's restoration effort was not bad, but the commission will continue to review the report.

"We'll likely put forth a request for clarity on statements and analysis in the report," Bailey said. "We still have a few questions."

Bailey said he thinks that with more discussion between the commission and Entergy, improvements can be made in service.

In a written statement to the Clarion Ledger, Entergy said it looks forward to the process.

"As requested, Entergy Mississippi submitted a report to the Mississippi Public Service Commission on August 22, 2023, about our June storm response," the statement read. "In the report we acknowledge that, while our team worked very hard under extremely challenging weather conditions, we did not meet our customers’ expectations.

"We will use these experiences to improve our restoration practices. Entergy Mississippi is a utility leader in storm response because we learn from every storm. We look forward to discussing the report details with the Commission."

Bailey said the public will also have a seat at the table. He said outreach events are planned where the public can voice their concerns and opinions on public utilities.

Public utility forums: When and where

  • MadisonDate: Tuesday, Sept. 12Time: 6 p.m.Location: Pinelake ChurchMadison Campus223 Old Jackson Road, Madison

  • VicksburgDate: Tuesday, Sept. 19Time: 6 p.m.Location: Robert M. WalkerBuilding, Board Room1415 Walnut Street, Vicksburg

  • GreenvilleDate: Tuesday, Sept. 26Time: 6 p.m.Location: Buster BrownCommunity Center400 E Robertshaw Street,Greenville

  • JacksonDate: Tuesday, Oct. 3Time: 6 p.m.Location: TBD

  • MeridianDate: Tuesday, Oct. 10Time: 6 p.m.Location: Union Station1901 Front Street, Meridian

  • Port GibsonDate: Tuesday, Oct. 17Time: 6 p.m.Location: Claiborne CountyEmergency Management Agency2033 Highway 18 E, Port Gibson

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Public Service Commission reviews report on Entergy MS storm recovery