CenterPoint helping restore power after Isaac

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Nearly half of the state of Louisiana is reporting power outages related to Isaac. According to Entergy's website, about 250,000 people in the New Orleans metro area alone are without power.

On Thursday morning, some 80 CenterPoint crews lined up for the drive to Louisiana to help with power restorations there. They said they were ready for their next challenge -- restoring power to residents there.

CenterPoint crews got a last-minute pep talk before heading off to southern Louisiana, where roughly 900,000 residents need their power restored.

"A storm comes in here, this is what we do for a living, so it's really not a big thing," CenterPoint lineman Ron Dugger said.

These linemen say this isn't their first time restoring power after a hurricane and say they usually arrive to cities where morale is low and people are desperate for cool air conditioning and lights.

"They warm up to us more because they find out that we're in a hotel that doesn't have power either. We're in the same situation they're in," Dugger said.

These men will be working in the heat for days -- possibly weeks -- helping folks in the Pelican State.

"We expect to see a lot of poles down, trees down, wires down when we get there," CenterPoint Energy Operations Manager Thomas Klesel said.

"I'm hoping it's not as bad as we saw it during Katrina. Whatever it takes, that's what we're here for, that's what we're trained to do," CenterPoint lineman Eugene Demarco said.

Houston CenterPoint crews will be working to restore power for Entergy's customers, which is more than 600,000 people.

CenterPoint crews will start work Friday morning.

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