MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The sleet and ice that hit overnight caused thousands to lose power and created major property damage for some Mid-South residents.
The biggest problem the Mid-South has seen due to this ice storm is downed branches and trees that cause damage to property and power outages across the area.
“It sucks,” said Johnnie Porterfield, after discovering a frozen tree had fallen on his truck. “I’ve got my son, I’ve gotta get back and forth with his mom. I’ve gotta knock some jobs off the schedule.”
Memphis Light, Gas and Water said more than 10,000 customers in the Memphis area were affected. By 1:45 in the afternoon, that number was down to about 5,500.
The utility company said 95% of those customers would have power restored by midnight Friday.
MLGW said it has hundreds of crew members on standy to help in the event of a power outage or emergency. If you lose power, call (901) 544-6500.
For the latest numbers, you can view the latest MLGW map here.
Entergy reported early Thursday that thousands of customers in the WREG viewing area in Arkansas and northwest Mississippi were without power.
By 1:45, the company’s online outage map listed only a few hundred customers affected. The largest concentration was in the Senatobia, Mississippi area, where 263 customers were listed as affected.
“We were in storm prep mode for probably the last three to five days. We keep a close eye on the weather forecast,” said Entergy Communications Specialist Brandi Hinkle.
But despite the heavy sleet and ice that hit the area, utility companies say less outages and issues occurred than expected.
“We had a peak of about 4,000 outages, which is really a small number compared to the 715,000 customers that we serve,” Hinkle said.
If you need to report an emergency such as downed power lines, smoke, fire, or gas leak, call Entergy at 1-800-968-8243. For the latest information from Entergy Arkansas or Mississippi, click here.
It’s anticipated that the number of power outages could fluctuate as the ice from Thursday’s storm continues to accumulate on trees and power lines, causing the potential for them to fall.
For some, the next few days will involve repair work and insurance claims, but utility companies urge all residents to avoid getting complacent. With more frigid temperatures on the way and potential snow forecasted in a few days, safety and security should still be a top priority.
“We want you to be vigilant about making sure that you have supplies necessary in case there’s a power outage,” Hinkle said.
