Power restoration continues around state

The Associated Press

Thousands of Arkansas electric customers remained without power on Friday after the winds and drenching rains left from Hurricane Gustav finally moved from the state.

Gustav parked over Arkansas, reaching the state on Tuesday and knocking out power to as many as 140,000 utility customers. The storm didn’t leave until Thursday, after it dropped as much as a foot of rain in places.

Thousands of people from Louisiana evacuated to Arkansas and officials continued work to provide rides to evacuees who arrived at Fort Chaffee on government-organized buses and aircraft.

Highway crews worked to repair damage caused by high water. Arkansas Highway 7, the popular scenic route, was closed in Pope County, forcing a lengthy detour.

The rains also inundated farmland in places, though damage was still being assessed Friday. Some soybean fields flooded and some rice and cotton were flattened in places.

Entergy Arkansas spokesman James Thompson said there were 26,000 customers still without power on Friday, 8,200 in Hot Springs and 3,500 in Little Rock. Thompson said the other 14,000 or so outages were scattered across Entergy’s territory in the state.

Thompson said the utility hoped to have the bulk of Hot Springs and Little Rock customers on by midnight Friday, though some would have to wait until Sunday.

“We did get a good bit of damage,” Thompson said.

On Wednesday, high winds made conditions unsafe for linemen to work. Plus, the 200 linemen Entergy sent to Louisiana ahead of the storm needed time to return. The utility has 400 of its own linemen and brought in an equal number to help with repairs.

With so many trees leaning on power lines and so many utility poles needing replacement, Thompson said restoration work was slowed, Thompson said.

“It’s almost backyard to backyard,” he said.

“When you have massive damage — trees everywhere, power poles down — we have to scout the area, find out what is down, find out what we need, unblock the roads, send in tree trimmers,” Thompson said.

Cotton expert Tom Barber of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service said there was notable damage in Ashley and Chicot counties and in southern Desha County.

Earlier rains had caused some boll rot, and the deluge from Gustav is expected to cause more. But Barber said farms further north in east Arkansas didn’t get enough rain to cause major problems.

“In Ashley and Chicot there are some fields that received 25 percent damage,” said Barber, who flew over part of the territory on Friday.

“In the broad scheme, it’s not as bad as it seems. But locally down in south Arkansas, it is,” Barber said.

Barber said no figures are yet available on what percentage of the crop was damaged.