Power Outages Impact Thousands In Shreveport and Bossier Area

Thousand of residents are dealing with no power as the winter storm moves through.

How Many Swepco Customers Are without Power Sunday

The numbers from Swepco show there are 62,559 people in the dark. This includes Louisiana, East Texas and Southern Arkansas.

Swepco officials say "Winter Storm Fern continues to impact all of SWEPCO’s service territory with historic ice accumulation. Outages have reached a peak of more than 60,000 customers."

Most customers are getting a message saying there is not a timetable for restoration of power. But we have learned SWEPCO crews are making slow progress, but the conditions are very challenging. The company has brought in more than 5,000 utility folks to help get the power restored.

Outages as of 8am Sunday morning:

Shreveport 13,566

Caddo Parish 17,725

Haughton 1745 1384

Mansfield 7,607

DeSoto 4744

Hornbeck 10,265

Natchitoches 4,603

Red River 1567

Bienville 646

Natchitoches 532

What Should Residents Do?

Customers are urged to report outages and stay away from downed lines. This heavy ice continues to bring down trees and limbs, increasing hazards. Always treat downed lines as energized and dangerous, report them immediately, and keep a safe distance.

Roads are still very dangerous. Crews have been working around the clock to keep the roads open.

Residents are advised to avoid driving unless absolutely necessary.

What Roads Are Closed in Shreveport Area

DOTD has closed the following roads in the local area:

The elevated section of urban I-49 in Shreveport between I-20 and Bert Kouns.

The southbound lanes will remain open from 3132 to get on I-49 south.

The connector ramp from LA 3132 westbound to I-49 southbound will be closed.

The Benton Road (LA 3) Overpass over KCS Railroad in Bossier Parish is closed.

The LA 154 Bridge over Lake Bistineau in Bienville & Bossier Parishes is closed.

The I-49 southbound flyover on-ramp to I-220 eastbound in Shreveport is closed.

The I-220 eastbound ramp to I-49 northbound in Caddo Parish is closed.

Bossier City has also announced that the Walter O. Bigby Carriageway Overpass from Hamilton Road to Benton Road is closed.

DOTD crews will apply brine/salt to bridges and overpasses, remove fallen trees from the roadway and close roads as needed.

Crews Will Work to Keep These Roads Open

I-220 in Caddo & Bossier Parishes will remain open as long as the roadway is deemed passable. However, the ramps at the I-220 interchange with I-49 in Shreveport will be closed (currently closed). Drivers can access I-49 from the MLK Jr. interchange.

The northern section of I-49 from LA 3194 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive) to the Arkansas state line in Caddo Parish will be maintained during the weather event and kept open to traffic as long as conditions do not warrant its closure.

Visit www.511la.org or download the Louisiana 511 app for additional information.
ORIGINAL STORY:

Another round of sleet and freezing rain is expected Saturday evening in Shreveport - Bossier. This will lead to even more treacherous conditions on the roads.

This is also expected to have an impact on power across the region.

Swepco

How Many People Are without Power

As of noon on Saturday, Swepco was reporting more than 10,000 customers have lost power. Crews are working to get the power restored as soon as possible, but it is difficult for crews to get out in these rough conditions.

What Are the Numbers of Customers Our By Parish/County

Caddo Parish under 100 customers

Bossier Parish under 100 customers

Bienville Parish 134 customers

The Hardest Hit Communities So Far

DeSoto Parish nearly 5,000 customers

Bowie County nearly 4,000 customers

READ MORE: Driving Tips if You Must Get Out

If you lose power and plan to use a generator, please be extra cautious.

Swepco crews will begin restoration work as soon as conditions are safe. "Their safety—and yours—remains our top priority, and they will work as quickly and safely as possible once the immediate danger has passed."

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You can sign up for outage alerts at Notifications.

You can receive additional information about SWEPCO's outage restoration process at Outages FAQ. We will begin restoration as quickly and safely as possible once the threat has passed.