Entergy Investigates Power Outages Impacting Thousands in Louisiana

Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans are currently investigating two distinct power outages that affected thousands of residents in the greater New Orleans area on Monday. According to a statement released to WDSU, an animal is believed to have caused an electrical short, leading to significant equipment damage on the West Bank, which impacted over 12,000 customers across New Orleans and Jefferson Parish.

The utility company has not disclosed what type of animal was involved in the incident. However, the majority of the outages were reported to be in Jefferson Parish. By noon, most affected customers had their power restored following the first outage, but a subsequent outage occurred in the same vicinity later in the day. Entergy is actively trying to determine the cause of the second electrical disruption.

During the peak of the outages, approximately 8,000 individuals were left without electricity. Later in the afternoon, nearly 4,000 residents in the Harvey and Gretna areas continued to experience power interruptions. New Orleans and Jefferson Parish police were kept informed as Entergy crews worked swiftly to restore power. As of Monday evening, the number of affected customers had slightly reduced to around 2,000.

In a related development, the office of Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul D. Connick Jr. announced via their social media account on X (formerly known as Twitter) that their office located at 200 Derbigny Street in Gretna had been impacted by the outages. The statement read, «An animal was found in the Gretna substation which could be a possible cause at this time.»

Entergy has assured the public that its crews are onsite and are working as diligently and safely as possible to restore power to all affected areas. The utility company initially anticipated power restoration by noon, but ongoing assessments and repairs have extended the timeline. Entergy’s outage maps reflect the latest updates on customer electricity status.