6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 16 — SWEPCO crews are working safely and quickly to restore service to more than 39,000 customers who remain without power following severe thunderstorms that moved through the region Sunday afternoon. Outages are primarily due to damaging winds that knocked down trees and power lines.
At peak, nearly 47,000 customers were without power.
The storm caused widespread damage across northwest Louisiana and east Texas.
Crews continue to assess damage to accurately estimate restoration times. Those times will be shared as information becomes available.
Safety Reminders:
- For your safety and for the safety of our crews, please refrain from approaching them while they are working.
- Contact our customer service personnel with any questions about your service. You can report downed lines and other hazards to SWEPCO at 888-218-3919 or online at https://www.swepco.com/outages/report/
- 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.