ARKANSAS, USA — Entergy Arkansas has been working with the City of Little Rock to add energy-efficient LED street lighting and illuminate dark areas in an effort to “Build Back Stronger” after the March 31 tornado.
"We know our customers are really coming up like a really dark time, we've been working nonstop," said Entergy Director of Region Operations, Chris Brown. "Restoring power by setting poles stringing wire."
As the restoration process and debris cleanup continues, crews have begun making improvements as they rebuild.
Residents in the Walnut Valley community and other areas that were hit by the hardest by the tornado will be seeing brand-new poles and lights in their neighborhoods soon.
The new LED streetlights will provide enhanced lighting for residents by shining brighter, lasting longer, and being more energy efficient.
"It's just a better choice, it'll last longer and easier to maintain, so there's definitely benefits," said Brown. "We definitely had a lot of opportunity across the system in Little Rock that we were able to seize and build back better, put in stronger poles that are more resilient to storms and things of that nature."
Crews are scheduling work by neighborhood, with a goal of having all lights replaced by early August.
New lights were ordered and debris was cleared before the work to replace the streetlights could begin. Entergy Arkansas has been coordinating with city officials about the progress.
“We currently have around 300 lighting poles to install and more than 600 streetlights we are replacing,” said Chris Cook, manager for customer service at Entergy Arkansas. “The last several months have been a dark time for our customers who suffered damages from the tornado and we hope these new installations will help make things a little brighter for them.”
Replacement poles and streetlights have already been installed along North Shackelford, and regional crews are working on completing these installations throughout damaged neighborhoods in the area.
Residents who have been displaced by the tornado should contact Entergy Arkansas as repairs are made and homes are rebuilt.
Once service to the home has been reestablished, private lighting repairs and replacements will be made.
“Power must be safely restored to homes in the area before any new poles or lights can be installed,” Cook said. “Customers with Entergy Arkansas lights installed on their private property that have not been repaired should contact us to let us know there is an outage we may not be aware of.”
Customers who have questions or concerns regarding outdoor lighting or the restoration efforts on their street should call 1-800-ENTERGY and speak to a customer service representative.