Entergy Power Reliability Updates for Marlowe Manor

Residents recalled outages occurring on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and the Fourth of July, along with outages measured in many hours rather than minutes.

One resident said the neighborhood was without power for about 34 hours over the Fourth of July. Another discussion recalled a separate outage in which restoration took more than three days.

According to the presentation, Entergy’s data attributed roughly 60% of the outage issues to vegetation. During the August 6 meeting, the 2029 trimming schedule was repeatedly questioned, but no commitment to move it forward was reported.

Residents described another frustrating problem: private tree companies may refuse work near energized lines. One homeowner said a regular tree service would not touch a tree because it was within roughly 7 to 9 feet of the line, even though the homeowner had reportedly been directed toward a private tree service.

A resident also said vegetation crews had started working near an easement, were called to a “higher priority area,” and never returned. Other residents discussed heavily overgrown areas around vacant or abandoned properties.

One resident described being in a back room and personally seeing or hearing a nearby transformer fail on three separate occasions. The line was said to be only about 25 yards from the house.

Another resident reported a transformer that had apparently been leaking oil for more than four months. According to that resident, an Entergy employee inspected it, said it needed to be replaced and indicated that it should be treated as an emergency issue, but the resident said the problem remained unresolved.

Resident observation: The questions in this section were raised by residents during the meeting. They were not presented as findings from Entergy.

Residents questioned whether temporary circuit changes made during tornado recovery were ever completely returned to their previous configuration. One resident described a damaged pole that could not be removed, leaving some lines associated with the old pole while higher lines were placed on a new pole — prompting the question of whether some work was effectively a “job half done.”

Residents also discussed receiving outage or restoration notifications that did not match conditions at their homes. Some wondered whether changes to circuit configuration after the tornado could contribute to those discrepancies.

Residents discussed an outage in a steep ravine area where approximately six poles were down. They said crews described the area as exceptionally difficult to access, and equipment became stuck during the restoration effort.

The group recalled that outage lasting more than three days. The story also reinforced residents’ concern that extra vegetation clearance in difficult-access areas could help reduce future restoration challenges.

The group discussed whether burying portions of the main distribution system could reduce exposure to trees and severe weather. One participant said the idea would be raised with Entergy for follow-up.

One resident said they had previously asked about burying a line and were told Entergy would be willing to do it if the homeowner paid for the work. No neighborhood-wide undergrounding proposal was presented at the meeting.

Residents discussed buying generators, battery systems and other backup equipment because they no longer feel they can assume uninterrupted service. The meeting included references to backup batteries costing thousands of dollars.

The discussion also emphasized that extended outages can become more than an inconvenience during extreme heat or winter weather, particularly for older residents, families with very young children and others who may be especially vulnerable.