Keeping up with power outages with Entergy alerts

Obviously, hurricanes are never easy to go through, but we're lucky to live in a time where information and technology is abundantly available, and many of us don't even realize it's out there.

Power outages, for example, were in the past a matter of chance. Even a decade ago, evacuees had little idea when the power had been restored to their homes; either they stayed away long enough till they suspected their power was back, they knew a neighbor who was able to contact them, or the news was able to report that power had returned to their neighborhood. Now, however, we have individualized alerts from power companies keeping us constantly informed of the power situations at our homes.

Entergy—the New Orleans area's leading energy provider—makes it very easy to stay on top of the power situation. I recommend signing up for text alerts about power outages at your home. There are several ways of doing this:

1) Visit Entergy's web site, log in to your account, and link your mobile phone number to your account. You can then set your preferences for which alerts you'd like from Entergy. You can choose either a phone call or a text message from Entergy informing you of the power situation at your address; you can also set up billing alerts.

2) Set up alerts directly from your phone by texting the letters 'REG' (short for 'register') to 368374. You'll then be prompted to provide your account number and zip code to link your phone number to your account. Once your phone is registered, there are a number of commands you can send to Entergy, but the one you'll want to use is 'STAT,' for 'status,' to learn the power situation at your home.

You can also visit Entergy Storm Center online for much more information about Isaac and other storms. Remember, your best friend in scary situations is information; always do your best to stay as informed as possible, and you'll be able to handle whatever comes your way that much better.

Be sure to stay tuned to RedmannLaw.com or follow us on Twitter @JohnRedmannATTY in the coming days for more helpful information about hurricanes, safety, and insurance claims.

by Matt Stokes