What You Need to Know
- SWEPCO is working to restore electricity to the remaining 200 customers who lost power during the devastating Memorial Weekend storms.
- Power has been restored to 99 percent of customers (who can accept power) as of 8 a.m. Monday.
- The remaining customers without power are in areas hit especially hard by a severe weather system that produced at least seven tornadoes and hurricane-strength straight line winds.
- Multiple rounds of rain and storms are in the forecast Monday and Tuesday, which may slow down restoration efforts or potentially cause new outages.
CURRENT SITUATION
Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) is pleased to announce that it has restored power to 99 percent of customers left in the dark following a massive and complex restoration effort. A strong and violent storm system hit Northwest Arkansas, specifically Benton County, Sunday, May 26. The storms spawned at least seven tornadoes and hurricane-strength straight line winds.
Our crews have worked tirelessly to restore power to the vast majority of customers. However, the remaining outages primarily involve complex repairs in the backyards of people’s homes, which often require time and meticulous attention to each individual residence.
Benton County, Arkansas, has approximately 104,100 households. At peak, the storm knocked out power to an estimated 94,100 customers, meaning nearly all Benton County residents were affected by outages. Benton County is served by multiple electric utility providers including SWEPCO, Carroll Electric and the City of Bentonville. At peak, there was a combined approximate outage of 94,100.
SWEPCO had a peak outage of around 19,000, Carroll Electric reported 65,000 and the City of Bentonville had reported a peak of 10,100. Each mobilized resources and coordinated with community leaders and first responders to tackle the massive restoration work.
SWEPCO brought in contracting crews from across the nation to help in the restoration effort. A mighty force of more than 700 lineworkers continue to work as safely and quickly as possible to restore service to customers without power. ?
Extensive Damage - This storm caused major damage in Northwest Arkansas. SWEPCO and contract crews located approximately 500 broken poles, more than 10 miles of down power lines, at least 100 damaged transformers and identified more than 750 unique repair locations.
Demobilization and Ongoing Work - We have begun demobilizing some of our contracted resources, releasing them to assist with other storm restoration efforts in the region. These out-of-town crews specialized in overhead high-voltage line work. Most of that work is complete.
Final Restoration - The final stages of the restoration process are the most challenging and take time. Crews are focusing on individual residences and businesses. Businesses with more complicated reconnection procedures may still be without power due to the complexity of the restoration process, requiring an electrician to ensure proper reenergization.
Temporary Road Closures Likely - There are currently no active road closures due to our restoration process, though temporary road closures may occur to repair service that cross roadways. SWEPCO crews will always work as quickly and as safely as possible to keep any road closures as brief as possible. The National Guard has been instrumental in maintaining safety during these road closures.
Customer Repairs May Be Required – While customers are anxious for power restoration, damages to their home service entry (meter box, weatherhead, etc.,) must first be repaired before they are able to accept power. Click for a flyer in English & Spanish.
Frisco Station Mall Staging Area – As part of a coordinated emergency response, utility crews were staged at the Frisco Station Mall. Today, crews will begin moving from the staging area and fully demobilizing the base camp within two days. We appreciate the kind support from the many retailers located at the mall. Customers will soon have an easier time visiting mall businesses.
Customer Alerts - Customers who have elected to receive mobile alerts should have or will soon be sent specific restoration times for their locations. You can sign up to get these alerts here or log into their online SWEPCO accounts. Please note that estimated restoration times may change based on weather and other factors.
Thank You - We extend our heartfelt thanks to all local officials, first responders, and the Arkansas National Guard for their collaboration and support, ensuring our crews can work as quickly and safely as possible. SWEPCO remains committed to restoring power to all affected customers and appreciates the continued support and cooperation from the community.
Safety Reminder - To ensure the safety of both our crews and the public, customers are urged to avoid areas where work is underway, not drive past flagged or coned zones, and refrain from approaching crews while they work.
Restoration Debris - Please note that some storm restoration debris will be left behind temporarily until pick-up activities can be scheduled following the completion of the restoration efforts.
Customer Cleanup – We caution customers while they are cleaning up their properties to be mindful of utility structures that may be buried under debris. Do not go near power lines, transformers or utility pedestals that appear damaged.
CAN YOU RECEIVE POWER?
Now is the time for customers to determine whether their home can receive power - SWEPCO cannot connect power to a home or business if there is damage to the service entrance, which is owned by the customer. Customers must have a licensed electrician repair damage before power can be restored. Click for a flyer in English & Spanish.
Learn how to identify weatherhead damages by watching this video. ENGLISH | SPANISH
ATTENTION LICENSED ELECTRICIANS:
SWEPCO will provide available meter sockets (residential and commercial) for licensed professional Electrical Contractors at the Frisco Station Mall parking lot located at 100 N Dixieland in Rogers, Ark., while supplies last. (Shown left is a residential meter socket.)
Contractors will be asked to provide contact and location info. A list of approved sockets can be found on SWEPCO.com in case contractors choose to purchase or supply their own meter socket. The list also contains approved multi-gang and combo units as well. The Electric Service Handbook is available for reference. Learn more here.
GET RESTORATION UPDATES
Enroll in our alerts at SWEPCO.com/Alerts
POST-STORM SAFETY TIPS
Find post-storm safety tips: https://www.swepco.com/safety/
Report outages: Report outages: SWEPCO.com/outage
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What should customers do if they see downed lines?
Don't touch it or anything near it. Even telephone or cable lines can become energized. Keep yourself and others as far away as possible and call 911 or SWEPCO immediately at (888) 218-3919.
STAYING CONNECTED
NEXT UPDATE
We will continue to keep you informed as more information becomes available. Updates will be provided at SWEPCO.com as well as other communication channels.