SHREVEPORT, La. — SWEPCO crews are working to restore electricity to thousands of customers after severe thunderstorms swept through Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
The powerful storms brought damaging winds and hail across the three-state service territory. At the peak of the outages, about 37,000 customers were without power. The majority of those affected live in Louisiana.
Highland neighborhood (courtesy: Regan Welborn)
Drivers are urged to be extra careful if they're driving in an area where there is debris. Do not do what the driver does in the video below.
By 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, utility crews had reduced the number of outages to approximately 16,000 customers. Officials said damage assessors found numerous downed power lines and fallen trees throughout the region.
The National Weather Service in Shreveport reported that the threat of additional storms continues Tuesday. The new weather threats are expected to mainly impact Northeast Texas and North Louisiana. Additional storms could cause new outages and delay current restoration efforts.
SWEPCO has mobilized extra resources and contractor partners from across its territory to assist local crews. Specific restoration time estimates will be released once the damage assessment is complete.
Company officials urged the public to stay far away from downed wires and anything touching them. Residents should not attempt to clear debris within 10 feet of a power line. Hazards can be reported to 911 or by calling SWEPCO directly. Customers can also track and report outages through the company mobile app.
It's easy to be weather-wise. Keep up with all of the very latest weather developments with the KTBS MEGA 3 Storm Team. Patrick Dennis, Brian Fowler, Joe Haynes, and Skip Kordas are always on stand-by to help you ride out the storm and keep you and your family safe. You'll also want to arm yourself with the KTBS MEGA 3 Storm Team app available for Apple and Android devices. When necessary, look for LIVE coverage on all your KTBS+ connected devices including KTBS 3.2 and KTBS.com.
Also, use #ktbswx on social media to report damage, flooding, or post images and video. Please remember, SAFETY FIRST.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.