Page 8 - Louisiana 811 Magazine 2020 Issue 4

Getting Back Up After Getting Knocked Down
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6 • Louisiana 811
2020, Issue 4
Recently, we talked with Molly Smith, Damage Prevention Manager for Louisiana/Mississippi for CenterPoint Energy about lessons learned from a busy hurricane season.
As Molly was just settling in her new role as Damage Prevention Manager for the two states in the grips of COVID-19, her attention was about to be diverted in the form of three relentless and devastating hurricanes in an eight-week period of time beginning with a lady named Laura, followed by Delta and concluding with Zeta.
Laura made landfall near Lake Charles, Louisiana on August 27 as a strong Category 4 hurricane with 150+ mph winds. Needless to say, Laura caused considerable and catastrophic damage to businesses, homes and infrastructure. The damage was seen in the widespread roof and structural damage, downed trees, powerlines, and poles, as well as extensive flooding from the storm surge.
Molly said, “The scope of damage was staggering and reports of utility damage from downed poles and damaged gas facilities started coming in almost immediately. After the initial reports started coming