Violent spring storms left a path of destruction this weekend. The damaging outbreak of severe weather, including approximately 120 tornado watches and warnings across the nation’s heartland, also delivered a blow closer to home in the ArkLaTex region.
Across SWEPCO, the severe weather began in earnest in northeast Texas late Friday. Wind gusts downed trees, ripped through power lines, and toppled transmission towers that feed multiple communities and neighborhoods. Crews worked tirelessly to repair and replace the heavily damaged towers and other structures.
The ArkLaTex region was hit again Sunday as residents sheltered in their homes amid multiple tornado warnings. Shreveport area meteorologists reported winds in excess of 70 mph. The National Weather Service also declared at least four tornado warnings in our service territory in northwest Louisiana, and southwest and western Arkansas.
At peak, approximately 61,000 SWEPCO customers were without power. As of 10 a.m., power has been restored to roughly 22,000 customers and all hospitals and critical care customers are online.
Dozens of crews from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Alabama are on the way to the SWEPCO service territory to provide mutual assistance to our line and tree crews with post-storm assessments and, where possible, safely begin work to restore all power.
Graphic from the National Weather Service shows parts of the SWEPCO service territory. As is typically the case with thunderstorms, most of the strongest gusts occur in between weather observation stations. The storms were strongest over the Shreveport area with several wind damage reports also received from eastern Texas.
ASSESSING THE DAMAGE
Crews were out before dawn to begin assessing the damage. An additional 61-line crews and 64 2-man teams are en route from several states to the SWEPCO territory with additional forestry resources to aid in the restoration effort.
SWEPCO maintains approximately 30,000 miles of line across its service territory. Assessments include both digital and physical inspection. Crews patrol lines by plane and by car to assess the damage and identify the repairs needed.
While you may not see a SWEPCO truck in your neighborhood, work could be performed many miles away on lines that provide power to your neighborhood.
Strong winds caused tree damage across the service area, causing power lines to fall. The photo above is from the Highland neighborhood in Shreveport, LA.
The photo above shows a damaged pole near a home in Wake Village, TX.
GET RESTORATION UPDATES
By enrolling in our alerts at SWEPCO.com/Alerts, customers get updated restoration information. When our crews arrive on individual work sites, a more precise restoration time for the affected group of customers will be updated in our system and communicated through alerts if the customers have signed up to receive our notifications by phone or email. Updated information can also be found at SWEPCO.com/OutageMap.
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Stay as far away as possible from downed wires and anything they may be touching. Call 911 to report any hazards or call SWEPCO immediately at (888) 218-3919.
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Carefully investigate before cleaning up any debris. Tree limbs, leaves and other objects moved by the wind could hide downed wires.
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Do not attempt to remove tree limbs or debris within 10 feet of a power line.
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If using a generator, be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Should I call SWEPCO to report my power outage?
Immediately after a major storm, report only safety hazards such as downed power lines or equipment that is sparking. Often, we’re already aware of damage to our systems such as transmission lines and distribution circuits. Your calls help us focus resources on hazards that are not automatically picked up by our monitoring systems.
What should customers do if they see downed lines?
Don't touch it or anything near it. Even telephone or cable lines can become energized. Keep yourself and others as far away as possible and call 911 or SWEPCO immediately at (888) 218-3919.
How does SWEPCO handle tree damage?
Our tree crews are among the first responders as they work to safely clear trees from our lines and equipment and move to the next location as quickly as possible to allow our line crews to restore power.
We do not remove cut trees or limbs during emergency power restoration. In these instances, property owners are responsible for removing tree debris.
Don't attempt to remove tree limbs or debris yourself if it is within 10 feet of a power line. Also, if you notice downed lines or sparking equipment, stay far away and call 911 and SWEPCO immediately at (888) 218-3919.
To receive the latest alerts and information from SWEPCO, customers should: