Hurricane Update No. 6
3 p.m., Monday, Oct. 12, 2020

Shreveport, La. (Oct. 12, 2020) – Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) has updated its estimated times of restoration for Central Louisiana communities impacted by Hurricane Delta. 

“We continue to make significant progress and expect to complete restoration by the end of the day Tuesday for 95% of customers who can take power,” said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Region Distribution Operations. “We are continuing our drive to restore power to all customers as safely and quickly as possible, with more than 1,000 line, tree and personnel at work.”

As of 3 p.m. Monday, SWEPCO has restored power to approximately 77% of the 23,300 customers who were without power in the wake of Hurricane Delta early Saturday. Work continues to restore power to 1,100 customers in the Natchitoches area and 4,400 customers in the Hornbeck area.

Estimated Times of Restoration

The following are updated estimated times of restoration. Estimates are for 95% of customers who can take power. Many customers’ power will be restored sooner. Customers may log onto SWEPCO.com/OutageMap to find their specific estimated restoration time.

Natchitoches Area

Derry

10 pm Monday - Chopin community/ Coco Bed Rd./ Marco Community/ Little Eva Community/ Sunk Hill Community/ Nid Aigie Rd./ Bay Springs Rd./ Lena Flatwoods/ Lake Gorum/ Little River

Provencal

8 pm Monday - Tom Lee Rd./ Harmony Rd./ Provencal Hwy. 117 to Bellwood/ Vowells Mill Community

Verda

10 pm Monday - Atlanta community, Gum Springs Rd.; Hargis Rd./ Fletcher Loop/  Whispering Pine Rd./ Aaron Fletcher Rd./ Leston Dubois Rd./ Gilcrease Rd./ Hwy. 71 south of Montgomery

Hornbeck Area

Leesville     

11:59 p.m. Monday - Golf course to Tank Trail on 117 North; East 28 & Slagle Road; North to Anacoco & East on Hwy 111; Hawthorne to Foul Road on Hwy 8

Kurthwood 

11:59 p.m. Tuesday - North on 117 to Kisatchie fire tower; South to Tank Trail on Hwy 117 & Hwy 465

Hicks

11:59 p.m. Monday - Hwy 121 to Leander; To Simpson - parish line

11:59 p.m. Tuesday - Hicks to Slagle - Hwy 8 to Simpson

When to Call an Electrician – Repairs to Customer-Owned Facilities

• 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.

Power Restoration Process

• SWEPCO established base camps near Mansfield and in Leesville to stage operations for the recovery effort.
• The restoration process focuses first on essential public health and safety facilities such as hospitals and police and fire stations.
• As damage assessment proceeds, workers will repair major power lines that restore power to the largest number of customers in the shortest time. Crews will fix power lines and equipment that serve multiple customers, and then individual service lines to homes and businesses. 

Stay Safe!

• All power lines should be considered energized and dangerous. Although a downed line may look harmless, it could be carrying electricity. Don't touch anything in contact with the line, such as trees, fences, or water puddles. Stay away and keep children and pets away from downed lines. Report downed lines immediately to SWEPCO at 1-888-218-3919.
• If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box. Portable generators can "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.
• Be extremely careful when using any alternate forms of cooling, heating, cooking and lighting.
• During an outage, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep cold air inside. Check out sources of ice or dry ice, if needed. Food should stay frozen for 36 to 48 hours in a fully loaded freezer, 24 hours in a half-full freezer – if you keep the door closed.
• Customers who are on life support systems or need uninterrupted electric service for health reasons should make alternate arrangements for potential extended outages.

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.

More information on what do to prepare for an outage may be found at SWEPCO.com/Outages.

Reporting and Tracking Outages

• Use the SWEPCO app, available for download via the App Store or Google Play.
• Log on to SWEPCO.com to report an outage and sign up for text and email updates, including an estimated time of restoration. 
• Visit SWEPCO.com/OutageMap to find detailed information without logging into your account
• Call 1-888-218-3919 to report your outage. During and immediately after the storm, customers are asked to call the Customer Solution Center only to report downed power lines and other situations that could pose a safety threat.  

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 (Nasdaq: AEP) 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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Carey Sullivan (318) 272-7074
Michelle Marcotte (318) 423-9220