Startling Sunday Storm Leaves Nearly 47,000 Without Power

It was exactly one month, to the day, from the last time that weather left so many without power.

Mother Nature lashed out again in the Northwest Louisiana area Sunday afternoon and because of the high winds this storm possessed, at one point, SWEPCO reports that nearly 47,000 SWEPCO customers were left without power.

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At approximately 4:00 am this morning, SWEPCO was still reporting that there were nearly 24,000 customers without power.

As the map below indicates, the outages are widespread but the hardest hit areas appear to once again be in the Shreveport, Haughton and North Bossier/Benton areas.

These were essentially the same areas affected the most by the storm exactly one month ago, on June 16, that left so many in the area without power.

SWEPCO posted on their Facebook page that crews are working to restore service to the thousands of customers who remain without power. According to them, those outages are primarily due to damaging winds that knocked down trees and power lines.

The power company stated that crews continue to assess damage to accurately estimate restoration times. Those times will be shared as information becomes available.

As SWEPCO has stated, there are a couple safety reminders that all should know in the midst of a crisis like this.

Downed Power Lines

Never touch a downed line, or go near it, no matter how harmless it looks. The line could be energized. Stay away and keep children and pets at least ten feet away from downed lines. Treat all downed power lines as if they are energized and dangerous. Call SWEPCO or 911 immediately.

Portable Generator Safety

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.