Entergy Arkansas lineman reflects on Hurricane Katrina 20 years later

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, leaving behind unprecedented devastation and becoming one of the costliest and deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history.

Among the many sent to help restore the region was Logan Williams, now a seasoned Entergy lineman based in Little Rock. In August 2005, Williams was just 18 years old — a new apprentice, only two weeks into his job.

“I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Williams said. “The first thing I said to myself when I pulled into the city and saw what was going on was, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’”

Katrina made its first landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Aug. 25, 2005. It strengthened to a Category 5 in the Gulf before making a second landfall as a Category 3 in south