Shreveport, La., (Aug. 31, 2020) – Estimated times of restoration for Northwest Louisiana have moved up a full day due to the progress made by thousands of utility workers restoring power following Hurricane Laura.
Power will be restored to 95% of customers in Bossier City and Haughton before 10 p.m. today, Aug. 31, and 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Shreveport.
SWEPCO has restored power to more than 91,000 customers who lost service when Hurricane Laura hit central and northwest Louisiana.
As of 10:30 a.m. Monday, about 10,000 customers in the Shreveport-Bossier area and 34,000 in central Louisiana remained without power.
At the peak Thursday, 136,000 customers in Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas were without power.
“The dedication of SWEPCO employees and our 3,000 out-of-state partners has resulted in significant progress in restoring power in Northwest Louisiana,” said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Distribution Region Operations. “Once northwest Louisiana crews complete their work, they’ll move south to help those working to restore power in our Valley District, an area hit with Category 2 force winds exceeding 100 mph.”
Estimated Times of Restoration
Power will be restored to 95% of customers in cities and surrounding areas before the estimated restoration times listed below:
- Bossier City – 10 p.m., Monday, Aug. 31
- Haughton – 10 p.m., Monday, Aug. 31
- Shreveport – 10 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 1
- Mansfield – 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1
- Hornbeck, Natchitoches and Logansport – 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3
Customers without power who are on life support systems or need uninterrupted electric service for health reasons should make alternate arrangements.
Louisiana residents can call 211 to find cooling centers and other assistance.
Working Safely
- Workers are practicing social distancing and other measures to stay healthy and prevent the spread of coronavirus, making the recovery effort especially challenging.
- Maintain at least six feet of physical distance between yourself and SWEPCO field personnel as we all play a crucial role in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
- Also, be careful when driving or walking in all utility crew work zones.
Public Safety
- Downed power lines – Never touch a downed utility wire, no matter how harmless it looks. It can be difficult to distinguish between a power line and a cable or telephone line. All downed lines should be considered energized and dangerous. And don't touch anything in contact with the line, such as trees, fences or puddles of water, since they can conduct electricity. Keep children and pets away from this potential hazard. Call SWEPCO to report any downed lines or equipment.
- Portable generators – If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box. Portable generators "backfeed" electricity up the line and risk the lives of repair workers and the public. Follow the manufacturers' instructions carefully, and plug essential appliances directly into the generator.
When to Call an Electrician
- SWEPCO cannot connect power to a home or business if there is damage to the service entrance, which is owned by the customer.
- Customers need to have a qualified electrician repair this damage before power can be restored. The service entrance includes the metal box housing SWEPCO's meter, the "weatherhead" pipe on top of the meter box, the service entrance cables running from the weatherhead through the meter box to the inside panel box, and other related facilities. Similar responsibilities apply to underground service.
- After repairs are made, contact SWEPCO to have power restored.
Report outages at SWEPCO.com or through the SWEPCO app, available on Google Play and the App Store.
For updates and photos, see SWEPCO.com and follow SWEPCO on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)
SWEPCO, an American Electric Power (AEP: NYSE) company, serves more than 543,000 customers in northwest and central Louisiana, northeast Texas and the Texas Panhandle, and western Arkansas. SWEPCO's headquarters are in Shreveport, La. News releases and other information about SWEPCO can be found at SWEPCO.com. Connect with us at Facebook.com/SWEPCO, Twitter.com/SWEPCOnews, Instagram.com/swepco, Youtube.com/SWEPCOtv, LinkedIn.com/company/swepco and SWEPCOConnections.com.
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