Louisville, Ky. — In the wake of Hurricane Gustav, which left more than 830,000 Entergy customers without power throughout Louisiana, E.ON U.S. has sent more than 250 employees and Kentucky-based contractors to assist in the restoration effort.

They departed over the weekend and early this week from locations across Kentucky and will remain in Louisiana as long as weather patterns remain calm in E.ON U.S.'s service territory. The team consists of veteran line technicians, team leaders, safety specialists, and tree trimmers.

Crews will replace or repair poles, towers, cross-arms, transformers, and other components of Entergy's electrical infrastructure.

The effort is part of E.ON U.S.'s participation in the mutual assistance program, in which a collection of utility companies that assist other utilities in times of natural disasters and crisis situations.

"We're committed to helping our southern neighbors in their time of need," said David Guy, director of system restoration and dispatch operations for E.ON U.S. "We hope our crews will aid in a safe and efficient restoration effort." Entergy said 119 transmission lines and 35 substations were out of service Monday afternoon, and that a team of more than 9,000 restoration workers are on-site or en route to restore power.



E.ON U.S., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a subsidiary of E.ON A.G., the world's largest investor-owned energy services provider. E.ON U.S. is a diversified energy services company that owns and operates Louisville Gas and Electric Company, a regulated utility that serves 326,000 natural gas and 401,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties, and Kentucky Utilities Company, a regulated electric utility in Lexington, Ky., that serves 536,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia.