The rodeo attracts the best lineworkers from around the world to compete in events based on traditional tasks and skills. The first Lineman’s Rodeo was held in September 1984, with twelve participating teams from Kansas and Missouri. The rodeo has grown to over 300 teams and 450 apprentices.

When the lights go out, our crews go to work, and we couldn’t be more grateful for what they do. The international event is an opportunity for select lineworkers to hone their skills, pass on valuable work practices and bring the best out of one another through competition.

Good luck to the following Entergy employees competing at this year’s International Lineman’s Rodeo:

• Representing Entergy Arkansas: Kevin Buford, Justin Matheny, Zach Christmas, Zack Lewis, Lance Duncan, Luke Genna and Blaine Wells

• Representing Entergy Louisiana: Matthew Allen, Joshua Allen, Cade Duplessis, Brandt Watson, Matthew Creppel and Zachary Calhoun

• Representing Entergy Mississippi: Zac White, Kelton Carr, Thomas Larkin, Tyler Harvey, William Evans and Zac Noone

• Representing Entergy Texas: Byron Allison, Lee Krumnow, Randy Resitino, Erik Burzynski, Diego Arroyo and Tanner Bales

Entergy crews, contractors and mutual-aid workers are using every available tool to make repairs in and around marshes, rivers and other hard-to-reach locations. In Terrebonne Parish, a specialized fleet of boats and storm response workers are navigating varying depths of waterways to reconstruct our electrical distribution system:

• Five large air boats rigged with cranes and buckets allow crews to gain access to utility poles in marshes and swamps. An additional large airboat supports the transportation of poles and repair equipment.
• Four marsh buggies capable of traversing land and water assist with the transportation of personnel and materials within marsh work zones.
• 12 small, single-engine boats are used to transport scouts to assist with damage assessments and work support.
• Flatbed pontoon marsh buggies carry materials like poles and wires to our restoration crews working in the water.
• Flex-track bucket trucks traverse agricultural fields to allow crews access to utility poles in muddy farmland.

Track, marsh and boating equipment have been utilized in Thibodaux, Gibson, Donaldsonville, Pierre Part and St. James throughout the Hurricane Francine restoration. Airboats have also been critical to restoration work in Luling, allowing crews to continue bringing service back to our communities despite areas of high water due to flooding.

In some cases, muddy terrain in tight spaces require lineworkers wearing special boots to climb utility poles without the assistance of machinery at all. Crews use safety ropes to secure climbers, who perform repairs up to 35 feet in the air.

Our teams prepare year-round to ensure we can access and repair even the most hard-to-reach residential areas along the Gulf Coast. As we continue to restore your communities, access the latest information by visiting our��, a one-stop website for information on storm safety, preparation, restoration and regular updates specific to the storm. You can also access the View Outages map.

Vegetation management��

Vegetation interference of power lines is one of the critical causes of interruption to electric service. Before Hurricane Francine’s impact, our crews and contractors proactively managed vegetation across our service area to protect our infrastructure.��

In Louisiana, our teams patrolled more than 1,200 miles, trimmed overhanging tree limbs at approximately 1,400 locations and removed 342 trees that threatened electrical infrastructure.

Following Francine’s impact on Sept. 11, our crews began leveraging a specialized Black Hawk helicopter carrying a grapple hook to accelerate the restoration in Louisiana, which is used to displace trees impacting major transmission lines. The Black Hawk operators lower the grapple hook to secure a piece of vegetation, maneuver it off a de-energized transmission line and drop it into a safe zone. In some cases, there is no damage to the line, so crews immediately re-energize the line to flow power back into the interconnecting system that powers our communities.����

Hurricane Francine damage assessments��

While the new Airborne Damage Assessment Tool might not look as impressive as the hook-wielding Black Hawk helicopter at first glance, the potential of this small aircraft could significantly impact restoration efficiency. The AirDAT is a fixed-wing airplane equipped with Light Detection and Ranging sensors and artificial intelligence capabilities, which creates a three-dimensional map of the landscape by scanning the environment for damage from the sky.��

The small aircraft identifies downed or leaning poles and other impacts to the transmission and distribution systems using artificial intelligence in near real-time. Ultimately, this technology significantly reduces restoration times and costs, allowing our crews on the ground to focus on further scouting and repairs to the system.��

This is the first time Entergy has utilized AirDAT. If the pilot program demonstrates the positive results projected, the technology’s use may be expanded and implemented into our regular storm assessment strategy.��

In addition to AirDAT, our restoration team continues to leverage specialized aircrafts like drones and helicopters to assess the electrical system. Aircraft operators work in coordination with crews on the ground, airboats and high-water vehicles to determine the exact causes of outages, which provides the data used to configure estimated restoration times.����

Building back better��

After making landfall last evening in Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2 hurricane, Francine moved through the Entergy service territory causing power outages throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. We began restoring power to customers as safely and quickly as possible after the storm passed. To prepare for future storms, resilience efforts are already underway in some parts of our service area, including Phase I of Entergy Louisiana’s Future Ready Resilience Plan.����

If you are seeking information specific to your home or community, visit our , a one-stop website for information on storm safety, preparation, restoration and regular updates specific to the storm. You can also access the View Outages map from here. �į��

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Entergy joins the Edison Electric Institute, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and other industry groups in observing the holiday in order to recognize the efforts and sacrifices made year-round by lineworkers across the country.

Our lineworkers are the first to respond and deliver for our communities when the lights go out. Despite facing challenging conditions in the Gulf South region, they endure and overcome when called upon. Whether facing brutally freezing temperatures during ice storms, wading through varying depths of mud and water in bayous or responding during the peak heat of Southern summers, our crews constantly work together to safely display their immense expertise, focus and perseverance. Additionally, the contributions of our frontline workers as we continue to restore power to our customers following Hurricane Beryl cannot be understated.

“By nature, to serve as a lineworker requires an intense dedication to one’s community, and I’m thankful for the crews that have chosen to serve our customers every day,” Charles Long, senior vice president of power delivery. “Our lineworkers have already responded with great precision and care during several severe storms this year and continue to stand ready during hurricane season.”

To learn more about how our lineworkers construct, operate and maintain our equipment to serve 3 million customers, visit entergy.com/lineworkers. Participate in honoring lineworkers and their families on social media by posting your message using the hashtag #thankalineworker.

For Green, during his most accomplished year, it was all about tackling the next goal and building his best self. Now, having qualified for the biggest race of his life in 2024, he is laser-focused on making the biggest difference possible for those around him.

“I can’t change the world, if I don’t start in my community,” said Green. “What better place to start than with my peers, co-workers, family, friends and the people they interact with every day?”

On April 15, Green will be running in the Boston Marathon and supporting an important cause for the company he works for and his community. Sporting a “The Power to Care” running shirt, the Entergy project controls analyst has decided to make a pledge and draw awareness to Entergy’s program that provides emergency bill payment assistance to older adults and customers with disabilities in their time of need.

“With the impact and reach of Entergy, this is a cause that will provide so much help for people that truly need assistance,” added Green.��

“We are so appreciative that Thomas is using his platform to support the community and raise funds for our most vulnerable customers,” said Patty Riddlebarger, Entergy’s vice president of corporate social responsibility, adding that the company will contribute a 100% match to all funds raised by Green with a donation to The Power to Care program.

Green ran 26.2 miles for the first time at the Baton Rouge Marathon in 2021. Just three years later, he is ready to compete in the most famous marathon in the world in a city over 1,500 miles from home.

“To me, the Boston Marathon is the Super Bowl of racing,” said Green. “Everyone has heard of it. Not only am I going to soak in the atmosphere of the race, but Boston itself. I’ll get the best tour of all with a 26-mile run through the city.”

Having qualified for the Boston Marathon after less than four years of competitive racing may seem like a short journey to check off one of the most prestigious milestones in the sport, it has been a period of strict dieting, countless hours of training and unwavering discipline. While living in Houston and Baton Rouge as a young professional, he focused on prioritizing his health with sleep, healthy eating and knocking out the next workout.

Why make all these sacrifices? For Green, it is always about taking another step in the right direction.

“I want to be fit and active until the day I die,” said Green. “Running is a sport that’s relatively safe, you can do it anywhere, with anybody and it has countless health benefits. I don’t just want to encourage people to donate to The Power to Care to help those in need financially, but I also want to encourage people to take care of themselves with healthy habits.”

Balancing a full-time job with a professional training regimen left little time for Green to waste. During the most intensive weeks, he will often wake up between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. to run, work a full day until 4 in the afternoon, and then run after work and complete a gym routine before resting up to do it all over again the next day.��

All his hard work certainly paid off, leading to a growing list of career milestones and highlights. The Galveston Half-Marathon was Green’s first official competitive event in 2021, and his favorite ever event was the Montreal Marathon the following year. He encountered and overcame his biggest challenge during the Iron Man Florida, traversing choppy waves and jellyfish in the Gulf of Mexico during the swimming leg of the competition.

Through all the ups-and-downs that come with training for highly competitive events, it’s all worth it for Green to make the step up to the world’s highest-profile public race next month.

“I want to take advantage of this platform and put the message out there that everyone can be their best selves by working diligently to reach their goals,” said Green. “For people that aren’t able to provide for themselves, this is a chance to give back. I’m ready to make the most of it and run the most important race of my life for a cause that can go a long way for so many people in my community.”

To contribute to Green’s cause before and after the race, and select “marathon” under “How did you hear about The Power to Care?”

Green has one reminder for himself as he approaches the race: “nothing worthwhile comes easy.

Entergy’s electric grid sustained its highest ever winter peak load during recent winter storms, meaning customers used more electricity at a given point in time than ever before during cold-weather months. Entergy Arkansas customers exceeded their previous all-time peak load, and Entergy Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi experienced peaks that exceeded the highs set during the winter of 2021, which saw one of the most damaging winter storms we’ve experienced.

Despite the record-breaking power usage earlier this month, Entergy’s fleet provided enough generation to meet the energy load and sustained reserves well above real-time power demand. The interconnecting transmission system, which moves electricity from our generators to your communities for use, remained secure.

While severe storms did cause localized outages, Entergy crews responded quickly to minimize customer impacts. In Arkansas, the hardest-hit state in Entergy’s service territory, over 1,000 resources were activated for storm response to safely restore more than 80,000 customers, amid treacherous road conditions. In Louisiana, crews and contractors safely brought approximately 19,000 customers back online after waves of steady wind and freezing rain rolled through the region. In Southeast Texas, power generation remained in surplus to consistently provide communities with electricity who experienced temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below normal.

The systemwide power generation and delivery performance during the cold spell is a reflection of the investments and planning done over the past year combined with a continued focus on operational excellence. It builds upon Entergy’s performance in 2023, which achieved its best generation fleet performance in over a decade, despite a summer of record-breaking heat. Not only were we able to keep our customers powered through extreme conditions, but we also helped economically export power to the MISO North/Central regions through the majority of 2023.��

Bill management resources

Entergy is committed to helping our customers before, during and after extreme weather, which is why we offer a variety of bill payment assistance and energy efficiency programs to help customers stay comfortable and keep their bill affordable.������

We offer several billing and payment options to fit your needs. Choose when, where and how you pay your utility bill with our bill management resources, which include:������

• Understanding my bill:��We redesigned the Entergy bill to help make it easier to understand. Learn more at��entergy.com/bill.��
• Level billing: We average bills over a rolling 12-month period, so you have a more consistent bill each month of the year. Enroll at��.��
• Pick-A-Date: Choose what day of the month you get billed to line up with your budget and cash flow. Learn more at��.��
• PaperFREE:��Get your bill delivered directly to your email as soon as it posts. Learn more at��.��
• AutoPay: Avoid late fees, writing checks and paying for postage by having your bills automatically deducted from your bank account. Learn more at��.����

Resources for customers in need������

For customers experiencing financial hardship, we offer a variety of bill assistance options, including:������

• The Power to Care:��Through a network of nonprofit agencies, The Power to Care helps pay utility bills of those facing extreme temperatures with no way to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Learn more at��.����
• Low Income Home ���ϳԹ��� Assistance Program:��Funded through the federal government, LIHEAP helps low-income households meet their home energy costs by making payments on the customers’ behalf directly to energy suppliers. Visit��entergy.com/bill-help��to learn how to apply for assistance.����
• Deferred payment:��Talk with us about your situation and we may be able to make deferred payment arrangements. Request a deferred payment arrangement through����or by calling 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) and following our automated response system menu.��
• Payment extension:��Qualifying customers who need a few extra days to pay their bill can request an extension through����or by calling 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) and following our automated response system menu.����

The Entergy app is also available for Android and iPhone operating systems at��entergy.com/app��and can be used for your convenience to pay bills, monitor your usage and more.����

One of the best ways to reduce interruption to electric service is by maintaining adequate clearance between power lines and trees. There are more than 16,000 miles of transmission lines carrying high-voltage electricity to communities throughout Entergy’s service territory. The aerial saw provides a safe and efficient tool for crews to maintain vegetation around power transmission and distribution systems.

“There is no comparison when I think about the effectiveness of this tool,” said Curtis Robertson, Operations Coordinator for Entergy’s Vegetation Support team. “From the marshes in Louisiana to the mountains in Arkansas and everything in between, managing vegetation around our lines can be challenging with ground-based equipment. To operate in many of these environments, there is no better tool at our disposal than the aerial saw.”

Typical ground-based tree trimming equipment reaches a maximum height of 65-70 feet in the air. With the aerial saw, the sky is the limit. Robertson remarked that a recent project in Arkansas – which would typically require up to 8 months to complete with traditional, ground-based equipment – was completed in just 4 weeks with the aerial saw.

Due to the extraordinary efficiency of this tool, Entergy’s vegetation management teams are able to replace some of the higher-cost, manual trimming activities across Entergy’s service territory to save both time and money.

“When we put together our tree-trimming strategy, the most important things to consider are the safety of our crew members, the ability to maximize reliability for our customers, and the efficiency of the operation in order to manage costs,” said Robertson. “The aerial saw is achieving all of the above, systemwide.”

Entergy performs trimming on transmission right-of-ways on an as-needed basis determined by aerial and ground based patrols. Crews use industry measures to preserve the health of the trees to the degree possible. To do this, we follow specifications developed by the International Society of Arboriculture.

In addition, the����has repeatedly named Entergy a Tree Line USA utility as a result of our commitment to proper tree pruning, planting and care in our service area.��Learn more here.

Since 2018, drones have played a crucial role in the storm restoration process, flying through damaged areas to survey miles of hard-hit infrastructure. Now, Entergy’s Unmanned Aerial Systems Pilots are utilizing this technology more frequently before a storm occurs, gathering information on our system from a bird’s eye view. In this way, Entergy’s crews inspect large portions of our service territory in a fraction of the time it might have taken in the past.

“The use of drones has been a major technological breakthrough as we continue to evolve the maintenance and improvement processes for our city’s power grid,” said Drew Thompson, Distribution Reliability Manager of Entergy New Orleans. “I strongly believe that continuous improvement of our reliability standards is made possible by bridging the gap between traditional methods and new, innovative, cutting-edge tools.”

During the busiest phase of hurricane season, Thompson and Entergy’s engineers are ensuring our system is as reliable and resilient as possible. Drones increasingly play a key part to ensure the team has eyes on every distribution line, utility pole and substation in New Orleans. Our engineers then use the data to help plan for vegetation management, equipment upgrades and maintenance.

While we stay storm ready, we want to encourage all our customers to prepare, too. It is critical for everyone in the community to make a plan and stay informed before severe weather threatens our area. Prepare and be safety aware with these resources:����

• :��Learn how to be ready for any type of emergency.
• ��Make a plan, make a kit.
• :��A��lifeline during a disaster.
• ��Download the app, register for notifications.
• :��Plan ahead to ensure your safety.
• : Know the signs of heat illness.
• : Know the hazards.
• :��Know the signs.
• :��Avoid loss and risk of illness.

Entergy’s drone pilots are trained professionals licensed through the Federal Aviation Administration. For your safety, and the safety of Entergy’s equipment, do not fly drones near power lines, substations or other electrical equipment.

Drew Thompson, Entergy New Orleans Manager of Distribution Reliability, has seen firsthand how New Orleans East has changed, and he plans to improve his community’s future through service. ��

“When I was growing up, doctors, lawyers, and families were moving here,” Drew said. “Malls, movie theaters and local businesses were thriving. Our local schools were competing at the top level in the state.”

His personal mission: what can he do to get the East back to what he remembers as a child?

Through the power of volunteerism, Drew is helping to make a difference throughout the metro area by partnering with Central City Christian Fellowship Church to host free health fairs, packaging food with Second Harvest Food Bank to feed the hungry and joining a mentoring program with Son of a Saint to help foster the next generation of New Orleanians. However, the volunteer opportunities closer to his home and office in New Orleans East are what fill Drew with pride and motivate him to keep working to move the East forward.

Drew was born in Uptown New Orleans in the early 80s, and his family moved to the East when he was still a toddler. He attended elementary, middle, and high school in New Orleans East, and, after securing an electrical engineering degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge, the new graduate moved back to his hometown with a new job at Entergy New Orleans just months before everything changed.

“New Orleans East has always been my comfort zone,” said Drew. “I was so happy to be back home.”

On August 29, 2005, Drew’s “comfort zone” and the surrounding communities were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. His house was flooded. His father and younger brother were evacuated on a plane by the U.S. military. His mother was relocated to Alexandria to work for Charity Hospital.

Despite having little communication with his family members and uncertainty about his home and belongings, Drew committed himself to Entergy’s storm restoration team. For two months, he left his engineering post to work with Entergy and mutual aid crews staged across Southern Louisiana, tracking resources, transporting laundry, and helping ensure crews had what they needed so they could focus on rebuilding.

Drew said that this period of sacrifice and service taught him to never take anything for granted. The neighborhoods, restaurants, and schools that he grew up around would never be the same.

“I couldn’t get to my house for three weeks,” Drew recalled. “When I got there and saw what the water had done, the only thing that I could save were my high school diploma and college degree. I lost all my pictures.”

Now, 18 years later, fellow Entergy employees and community members often see Drew smiling from ear to ear with his sleeves rolled up, taking a selfie with a new friend in between handing out a bag of nonperishables to someone in need or putting a shovel into the ground to plant a new tree.

“I take so many pictures now, because I know what can happen,” Drew said.

Among the initiatives and partnerships that Drew is involved with to help New Orleans East residents, his two favorites are the annual “Drive-thru Back to School Fest” and “Turkey Drive” at Einstein Charter network. Einstein Charter network is composed of four schools, including Drew’s alma mater, Sarah T. Reed High School, which had over 2,000 students when he was a senior. Now, the institution hosts approximately 350 students. Drew currently serves on the Einstein Charter School board.

“I want the school to get back to the point where they’re the school to beat,” said Drew. “It starts with helping our families. With the Turkey Drive, I get to look parents in the eyes and know that that they will be eating well. When school comes around, I can hand kids classroom supplies and know that some parents aren’t forced to decide whether to buy a uniform or a book sack.”

Drew has served Entergy for 18 years through several engineering, customer service and management roles dealing with transmission, distribution, community relations, and power generation. He is the Chair of the Committee for Entergy New Orleans’ “Plus One Program,” which was founded in 2021 to provide a spotlight for acts of exceptional customer service within the company.

Drew continues to go the extra mile to improve the lives of those around him. When he recruits others to volunteer, he tells them that it’s not only about helping others.

“When you volunteer, you interact with people that you may not normally meet,” said Drew. “When you’re suddenly assigned a task with someone you’ve never met, whether it’s a company executive, an intern or a community member showing up to volunteer by your side, there’s always something you can learn from them to better yourself.”

Drew believes that, in this way, volunteerism can start a cycle to transform his community.

“If someone sees me putting in the work and says, ‘hey, I can stay here and make a difference,’ then my hope is for them to go on and do even more.”

To learn more about our outstanding employees who are focused on making the right decisions and building a brighter and more resilient New Orleans, visit��.

LSU Health Sciences Center has been working with the ���ϳԹ��� Smart program to become more energy efficient, save money on their energy bills and impact the environment in a positive way.

The downtown center is comprised of six schools of medical professions, which are housed in 16 buildings totaling roughly 4 million square feet. After enrolling in the program about 6 years ago, they have made several lighting and HVAC upgrades and made significant savings on their utility bill.

“It is a very easy process,” said Kirk Deslatte, Director of Planning and Construction at LSU Health Sciences Center. “Every project we did with the ���ϳԹ��� Smart program was very successful, saving us energy and providing us ease of use maintenance.”

Entergy New Orleans’ ���ϳԹ��� Smart program is currently offering companies more money to complete energy-efficient facility upgrades.��Business customers can apply to receive an extra 25 percent cash incentive in addition to the standard cash incentive ���ϳԹ��� Smart distributes on a per-project basis.

The 25 percent incentive is available to all Entergy New Orleans business customers who apply and submit eligible project requests by June 30, 2023. Program participants will have until September 30, 2023 to complete upgrades. Businesses interested in learning more or applying can visit the����to begin the application process.