Lights and equipment shut off at the Banner-News at around 1:50 p.m. on April 16, with power returning about 30 seconds after.
Shortly after power returned to the office, dispatch on the police scanner confirmed the source of the issue: a white truck had rammed a utility pole outside of Central Elementary School before leaving the scene.
The Magnolia Police Department blocked off a section of road on East North Street, cordoning off the area while Entergy checked out the damage. At 2 p.m., one worker for Entergy said that the power would be kept on for at least another 15 minutes due to students taking the ACT Aspire.
“If we have a pole that is struck by a vehicle like that, we replace the entire structure,” said Chris Wasson, a spokesperson for Entergy. “On average, you can count on about three hours per pole that needs to be replaced. If it’s an extremely extensive pole with powerlines in multiple directions, it could take about five or six hours to complete.”
Some of the staff of Central Elementary School walked outside to momentarily take in the view of the damaged utility pole as it hung in the sky, but none dared to venture further from the building while the power was still on.
Police on the scene were not aware of where the vehicle went after it struck the utility pole and said they would be reviewing the school’s video footage to find out the cause of the accident.