SWEPCO crews are working to restore service to more than 9,000 customers who remain without power in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas after a major storm system moved through the area on Wednesday.

The storm system, including a tornado, caused significant damage in Northwest Arkansas early Wednesday. Some of the hardest hit areas include the cities of Johnson and Springdale. The National Weather Service in Tulsa confirmed a tornado in Springdale, giving it an initial rating of EF-2. As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, approximately 3,000 customers remain without power in Northwest Arkansas. At the peak, more than 9,000 Northwest Arkansas customers were without power.

The system also caused significant outages in Northwest and Central Louisiana, especially Hornbeck and Natchitoches. Approximately 6,600 Louisiana customers remain without power as of 7 p.m. Wednesday. At the peak, more than 10,000 customers were without power in Louisiana.

SWEPCO crews are continuing to assess damage and restore power as safely and quickly as possible.

Estimated times of restoration to 95% of customers in these areas are as follows:

Arkansas

• South Springdale, area around the Springdale Country Club: 8 p.m. Thursday, March 31
• Van Asche, area around Johnson: 8 p.m. Thursday, March 31
• Osburn, Highway 256 near Northwest Technical Institute: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 2
• South Springdale, the area between Springdale Airport and west to Turner Street: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 2

Louisiana

• Natchitoches: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 31
• Hornbeck: 1 p.m. Thursday, March 31
• Mansfield: 9 p.m. today, March 30

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.

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.

OUTAGE INFO:

SWEPCO Mobile App – Report outages, check outage status, and more. Download at App Store or Google Play.

SWEPCO Alerts – Get an email or text message with the latest info for your home or business. See SWEPCO.com/Alerts.

SWEPCO.com – outage map, report outages, safety information.