Aside from a boil water advisory in Lafayette, most of the state’s public utilities fared relatively well Tuesday when a winter weather system brought blizzard conditions to parts of Louisiana and covered some area with as much as 10 inches of snow.
But officials warn that could change very quickly over the next few days.
The biggest interruption of service Tuesday was a loss of water pressure affecting more than 12,000 customers of the Lafayette Utilities System. LUS Director Jeffrey Stewart said the city’s water system experienced pressure drops due to the large number of customers dripping their faucets all at once to prevent their pipes from freezing.
LUS issued a boil water advisory for residents and businesses in the Lafayette area north of Interstate 10, asking customers to turn off their faucets and conserve water if possible. Customers should boil water for one full minute prior to drinking or using it for cooking. The advisory is expected to remain in effect until at least Friday or Saturday once pressure is restored and stabilized after the storm has passed, Stewart said.
“We won’t begin testing until after we stabilize,” he said. “At that point, we sample and wait a minimum of 24 hours to clear.”
On the electric front, the grid was relatively quiet with few outages across the state.
Some outages were reported in Lafayette during the day, but the utility was able to quickly respond and repair them. However, Stewart warned that this initial quiet period is unlikely to last through the week and said people should prepare and expect to lose electricity.
“The next couple nights will definitely test us,” Stewart said. “The deep freeze could cause issues, including making roads not passable.”
The National Weather Service in Lake Charles confirmed via phone that a verified blizzard impacted their area Tuesday with wind gusts of at least 35 mph and visibility reduced to one-quarter mile for at least three hours.
Temperatures are expected to dip below freezing each night through Friday, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a blizzard warning Tuesday. Snow and ice could accumulate on tree branches, causing them to snap and pull down aerial power lines.
Vehicles, such as those of curious sightseers, pose a common hazard during winter storms as they will often slide off icy roadways and crash into utility poles. Such an event left thousands without power in Tangipahoa Parish late on Tuesday.
More than 2,000 Entergy Louisiana customers in an area stretching from Amite to Independence lost power after a vehicle ran off the roadway and struck some utility infrastructure, Entergy spokesman Brandon Scardigli said.
“Drivers should avoid being on the roadways if travel is not absolutely necessary,” the Department of Transportation and Development said in a statement.
Entergy crews had restored about half of those outages by 8 p.m., deploying some of the roughly 2,600 personnel on standby as part of its storm response plan.
Entergy’s power line crews will respond in the rain or snow and have winterized bucket trucks outfitted with tire chains to help them navigate icy roads. Otherwise, the only hindrance that can cause them to suspend their response efforts is wind, Scardigli said. Line workers cannot use their bucket trucks if wind speeds exceed 35 mph — the same limitation they face during hurricane season, he added.
In the neighboring parishes to the east, about 2,300 customers of the Washington-St Tammany Electric Cooperative experienced brief outages Tuesday evening, but most were restored relatively quickly.
Despite the quick responses Tuesday, customers should expect slower restoration times as the weather turns even colder.
“While crews are ready to respond, icy roads and other winter hazards are expected to slow travel and restoration efforts,” Entergy said in a statement. “Additionally, cold-load pickup, the increased energy demand that occurs when power is restored to systems impacted by extreme cold, may delay restoration times.”