7 Things Arkansas Power Crews Do Before an Ice Storm That Customers Never See

The sky may still be clear, but somewhere in Arkansas a power crew could already be packing for several days on the road.

Most customers never see it happen.

Here’s what goes on out of sight before the ice arrives.

1. Watching the Ice Forecast

The forecast drives the early work for power crews.

Entergy Arkansas said that 3/8 inch of ice is the point where damage to the electrical system becomes likely.

It depends on whether the ice sticks to trees and power lines.

Arkansas Electric Cooperatives said in February 2021 that it had been monitoring the weather situation since the week before.

Oklahoma Gas and Electric, which serves western Arkansas, told Talk Business in 2013 that it worked with the National Weather Service and had a meteorologist on staff.

You may look at the forecast to plan your commute, while Entergy Arkansas and Oklahoma Gas and Electric look at it to plan a response.

2. Rehearsing the Outage Plan

Some power crews go over the outage plan again before an ice storm hits.

Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative said in December 2013 that storm preparation is something it does year-round.

It had a meeting scheduled for the next day to run through the plan again.

Co-ops in the areas expected to get storms were holding emergency preparation meetings, Arkansas Electric Cooperatives said in February 2021.

Entergy plans restoration efforts months before the first sign of foul weather.

You might not hear about those meetings, and many customers only notice the plan when the lights come back on.

3. Calling in Extra Crews

Ahead of a February 2015 ice storm threat, Entergy Arkansas requested 500 workers from sister companies and contractors.

If outages hit, the plan was to have more than 1,000 workers mobilized and ready to respond.

The extra help would be deployed as the threat of the storm became clearer.

Entergy said in February 2021 that an additional 900 workers would assist Arkansas crews over the next few days.

Those workers included damage assessors, vegetation crews, linemen and crew chiefs.

Little Rock television station KATV reported that Entergy also called in backup from Texas and Louisiana.

Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas said in December 2013 that it had secured assistance agreements with contractor line and right-of-way crews.

You may not hear about those calls.

The call goes out ahead of the storm.

4. Staging Near the Ice

You may picture crews waiting at a depot, but staging puts them closer to where the ice is expected.

Entergy Arkansas said in early February 2022 that it was staging crews, equipment and supplies in the areas of the state likely to be hardest hit.

Wet and icy roads can make travel hazardous for crews.

Oklahoma Gas and Electric said in 2013 that its incident command system lets it stage resources and personnel according to the extent of a storm.

Nationwide, the American Public Power Association, Edison Electric Institute and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association issued a joint release in January 2026.

More than 50,000 workers were being prepositioned ahead of Winter Storm Fern.

Those workers came from at least 37 states and the District of Columbia.

5. Topping off Fuel Tanks

Entergy Arkansas workers had laid in supplies and topped off fuel tanks ahead of the February 2015 ice storm threat.

In some cases, they had packed to be on the road for several days.

Entergy says on its storm support page that hotels, restaurants and fuel for vehicles may not be available.

Base camps with lodging, dining and sanitary facilities for workers are usually set up within 24 hours of the weather event.

You may be at home with a hot meal, but a crew in the field might not find a restaurant nearby.

You might not see the base camps, and many customers don’t.

6. Testing Cold-Sensitive Equipment

Some utilities check more than the lines before an ice storm.

Entergy Arkansas was inspecting and testing equipment that can be affected by extreme cold, such as gas-filled circuit breakers, in February 2022.

The company was also inspecting and maintaining substations and transmission lines that are critical to the larger power grid.

You may not think about a circuit breaker until the lights go out.

Cold stresses equipment too.

7. Trimming Limbs Before Ice Season

Entergy Arkansas crews were removing limbs and trees at risk of falling on power lines during winter storms, T&D World reported in January 2012.

The company did more than 7,800 miles of distribution vegetation management in 2011.

Its trimming ran on a four-to-five-year cycle.

It also targeted “danger trees,” which are tall dead trees outside the right-of-way that are close enough to fall on lines.

In your neighborhood, that may look like a truck parked by the road.

If a limb is close to the line at your house, call your utility instead of trimming it yourself.

Talk Business reported in 2013 that Southwestern Electric Power Company’s tree trimming is done year-round.

What Crews Can’t Do Early

Arkansas Electric Cooperatives said in February 2021 that crews have to wait until the storm does its worst before they can assess the situation and make repairs.

Entergy says a full assessment after a storm can take up to three days, depending on the severity of the damage.

Its crews can’t use bucket trucks until sustained winds are below 30 mph.

The National Weather Service said it takes a crew a couple of hours to replace one pole.

A couple of hours per pole adds up when at least 30,000 utility poles go down or snap, as they did in the January 2009 ice storm.

You may be without power while crews assess the damage, so it helps to plan for that.

Lending a Hand to Other Co-ops

Power crews answer calls for help, and co-ops have been on both ends of it.

Ozarks Electric said nearly 12,000 members of North Arkansas Electric Cooperative lost power in March 2025, and dozens of poles were destroyed.

It sent 12 personnel as part of a statewide mutual aid response with crews from over a dozen other cooperatives.

By the evening of March 15, power had been restored to nearly 9,000 of those members.

If you see a truck from another co-op in your town, it may be mutual aid.

Help runs both ways.