Tropical Storm Bill Leaves Louisina Homes In The Dark

NEW YORK -- - Louisiana's biggest electric utility, Entergy Corp. said the infamous Tropical Storm Bill knocked out power to 179,000 customers.

The storm, which was downgraded to a tropical depression early Tuesday as it moved north along the East Coast, packed winds of over 60 mph when it struck the Louisiana coast late Monday.

Entergy said it restored power to more than 100,000 customers overnight, but 68,000 customers remained without service the next morning.

"The hardest hit areas are in the metro New Orleans and southern Louisiana areas. We've had reports of fallen power lines, toppled power poles and downed trees that, along with high flooding, has made some areas inaccessible," Entergy spokeswoman Yolanda Pollard told Reuters.

Most service is expected to be restored Tuesday. However, some customers may not have service restored until late Thursday or early Friday, Pollard said.

There were no reports of damage to the transmission system.

Bill, the second named storm of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season, formed in the Gulf of Mexico early June 29.

Entergy's five nuclear power plants in the region were not forced to reduce output or close due to the storm.

Nuclear plants typically reduce power or shut down when severe weather, like hurricanes, comes too close.

New Orleans-based Entergy Corp. serves 2.6 million electric customers in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas.