UPDATE: Power Restored to Thousands of Pine Belt Customers
Power Flicks Back On
Thousands of Pine Belt residents are now breathing a sigh of relief as power resumes, less than 24 hours after Hurricane Francine ripped through the southern part of Mississippi. The hurricane, which made landfall Wednesday night, had cut off power to over 17,000 customers around the state.
The seven power companies serving the Pine Belt sprung into action to restore services, minimizing the impact on residents. Their quick response means that power has now been restored to the majority of impacted customers.
Outage Overview
Here is the breakdown of the situation at 5:05 p.m. on Thursday. Mississippi Power had 67 outages while Southern Pine reported 680. Pearl River Valley had 13 customers without power and Dixie EPA reported 14. Singing River had the least with only 4 outages, while East MS EPA had 506. Entergy reported 32 outages.
Within the Pine Belt, Covington, Jasper, Jones, and Smith counties reported the highest number of remaining outages. The remaining numbers in these counties were, Covington: 8, Jasper: 336, Jones: 3, Smith: 196.
Other counties reporting outages included Forrest, Greene, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Marion, Wayne, with a total of 20 outages combined.
Statewide Impact
Across the state, it has been reported that 7,081 people are still without power. Despite the magnitude of the initial outages, the restoration process has been expedient and efficient, ensuring that most residents have their power back as soon as possible.
Post-Hurricane Recovery
The return of power signals a reassuring step in the recovery journey from the hurricane damage for the Pine Belt community. With electricity back, residents can commence the clean-up processes, and life can get back on track.
As the dust settles and power is restored, the steadfast spirit of the Pine Belt community continues to shine forth. Hurricane Francine may have brought the darkness, but the swift actions by the power companies and the resilient spirit of the Pine Belt residents are bright lights in the aftermath.
Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.
