POWER UPDATE We’re online in Alden Bridge - on the West side of Branch Crossing, power is on in Wynnoak and Sundance at least. The East side of Branch Crossing is still dark, however. - 10:40PM, 9/16/08
I believe we’ve all learned way too much about the power grid over the last few days. The long and short of it, for us in Montgomery County, is that we’ll be roughing it for at least a week, and likely 2-3.
Post-Ike Commerce: What’s Open?
A few lists of businesses that have re-opened post-Ike:
Note: if a business that you’re looking for does show up on the list, and it requires a significant drive, I suggest calling ahead to confirm. Some stores are ‘open’, but at nowhere near full capacity (e.g., grocery stores with only non-perishables for sale).
Entergy Update
The latest update from Entergy shows that 29,212 customers in Texas have restored power (that’s 7% of the total outages in Texas). Entergy also published estimated restoration dates for most communities — see below, or view the complete Entergy update here.
- The Woodlands - 9/25/08 (yes, that’s next Thursday)
- Conroe - 9/29/08
- Huntsville - 9/29/08
- New Caney & Cleveland - 10/5/08
Entergy has stated from the beginning that this task will be 2-4 weeks for the worst areas, citing damage to transmission lines–the arteries that deliver power to us from a variety of generation sources. That’s an important distinction, because it means they can’t just send power here from another plant or distribution center. With the major in-bound lines severed, we’re isolated until they rebuild those lines. In their report, Entergy also listed their current count of damages:
- poles - 4,031
- transformers - 1,564
- cross arms - 4,153
- service connections - 5,355
- wire spans - 9,368
That is a frightening list, but I can say I have seen a healthy amount of service trucks on the roads both yesterday evening and today.
More updates to come.
