DEMCO reported remaining outages due to Hurricane Ida totaled 47,023 Saturday, with 58% of meters and 55% of distribution lines back in service, and 37 of 43 substations receiving transmission.
“Crews are working on all parts of the system - transmission, distribution, three-phase and single-phase, and eventually they will be on local lines shifting to local lines repairing damage on lines and individual services,” says Mark Phillips, director of operations. “Until all substations are ready to receive power we continue to use power switching technology, pulling and sharing power from other areas in our system.”
The company says system damage is "severe" in Livingston, St. Helena and Tangipahoa parishes with many poles and lines down and areas inaccessible.
Transmission repairs could take up to a week. On the east side of St. Helena Parish, outages are expected to last two to three weeks. Outages in the Tangipahoa area could last three to four weeks.
Breakdown of outages by parish as of Saturday afternoon:
Ascension: 15,086 meters, 8,203 out (45.62% energized)
East Baton Rouge: 35,552 meters, 3,794 out (89.32% energized)
East Feliciana: 6,062 meters, 1,775 out (70.71 energized)
Livingston: 45,355 meters, 28,212 out (37.79% energized)
St. Helena: 5,251 meters, 4,640 out (11.63% energized)
Tangipahoa: 626 meters, 626 out (0% energized)
West Feliciana: 4,527 meters, 70 out (98.45% energized)