High Winds Leave Thousands In Northwest Louisiana Without Power

A fast moving storm roared through northwest Louisiana late Thursday afternoon. It brought high winds and some scattered showers. There was one report of 57mph winds in downtown Shreveport.

What Problems Did the Storm Leave Behind?

The storm did cause power outages across the region last night. During the height of the storm, about 15,000 Swepco customers were without power. My power went out at about 5:30 pm and the initial report from Swepco said it would not be restored until 9pm. Just as I was thinking about snagging a hotel room, the power came back on. I was only out for about an hour.

But some areas are still without power today.

Several businesses had to shut down early because of a lack of power. In fact, I drove by the Circle K on Shreveport Barksdale Highway this morning and it was completely dark. It looks like they closed down when the power went out and they haven't opened back up yet even though much of the power in the area has been restored. The YMCA on Knight Street also closed early because of the power outage.

What Areas Were the Hardest Hit?

In Caddo Parish, there are just over one thousand people in the dark. The estimated time for restoration is 4pm Friday.

There are also about a thousand folks without power in Bossier Parish and they are also in line for restoration by 4pm today.

In DeSoto Parish, about 300 customers are in the dark and Swepco says it could be as late at 9 PM tonight to get all of the service restored.