STILLWATER, Okla. — OG&E deployed a team of 150 line restoration crew members and other support personnel to Louisiana before Tropical Storm Francine makes landfall to aid with power restoration.
The storm is forecasted to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane with up to 100 mph winds by Wednesday afternoon or evening.
Early Wednesday morning, a fleet of OG&E trucks carrying OG&E teams from Oklahoma City, Enid, and Ardmore will leave Shawnee and join crews from Muskogee, Kellyville, and Fort Smith, AR in eastern Oklahoma.
The teams arrived in Louisiana Wednesday afternoon to help with power restoration in areas affected by the storm.
Entergy, a Louisiana electric company, requested support and urged its customers on the Gulf Coast to prepare for potential power outages in areas where the storm’s greatest impacts are expected.
Mutual assistance crews can be deployed for up to 14 days.
If more assistance is needed, OG&E may rotate in additional crews.
OG&E crews and restoration personnel will remain across the company’s service area in Oklahoma and western Arkansas to monitor and maintain service for customers.