First lights power back up in Lake Charles after Hurricane Laura ripped through city

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Monday, September 7, 2020
Scenes of devastation in Texas, Louisiana after Hurricane Laura
People across southern Louisiana and eastern Texas woke up to scenes of devastation after Hurricane Laura moved through. Here's a look at the damage in Lake Charles, Orange, Dequincy and other cities.

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana (KTRK) -- Just over one week after Hurricane Laura ripped through southwest Louisiana, power was restored Sunday morning in the communities of Toomey and Starks in heavily impacted Calcasieu Parish.

According to Entergy, all nine transmission lines into southwest Louisiana were damaged and rendered inoperable.

RELATED: Almost all of 85,000 people living in Texas county have no power after Laura

PHOTOS: Hurricane Laura impacts Gulf Coast

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Dustin Amos, right, walks near debris at a gas station on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Lake Charles, La., after Hurricane Laura moved through the state.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Crews were able to repair and energize one line to reconnect some customers in the region to a power generation source in eastern Texas, reenergizing the first substation in Calcasieu Parish following Laura.

SEE ALSO: Rolling blackouts canceled in SE Texas region after Hurricane Laura

"Our company and our communities have worked tirelessly for this moment," said Phillip May, Entergy Louisiana president and CEO. "It represents a major step in our goal to restore power to Calcasieu and Cameron parishes. While we still have many major hurdles to overcome, I believe this serves as a beacon of hope for our customers. Like the communities we serve, our team worked around the clock to arrive at this important milestone."

This initial step gave power to approximately 2,000 customers.

WATCH: Most intense moments from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana

This is a must-see! ABC13's Ted Oberg experienced eerie whistling at Golden Nugget Lake Charles as Laura's winds whipped the resort. No, it isn't an alarm you're hearing.