As of 3 p.m. today, SWEPCO has restored power to 37,700 customers. Approximately 65,000 customers remain without power.
The May 28 storm packed winds of up to 60 miles per hour and downed power lines and trees across East Texas and Louisiana. An EF-1 tornado was confirmed in the Longview area.
Nearly 420 men and women are working as quickly and safely as possible to assess damage and restore service. Company and contract crews are coming from Texarkana, Fayetteville, Oklahoma, and Texas to assist with storm restoration.
Outages and Estimated Restoration Times (for 95 percent of customers who can take power)
LONGVIEW DISTRICT (62,000 outages at peak – 41,433 at 3 pm Tuesday)
Carthage area – 2,278 Wednesday at 10 pm
Gladewater area – 1,565 Wednesday at 5 pm
Kilgore area – 1,446 Wednesday at 10 pm
Longview area – 34,779 Friday at 5 pm
Marshall area– 1,365 Wednesday at 10 pm
SHREVEPORT DISTRICT (18,000 outages at peak – 4,903 at 3 pm Tuesday)
Haughton area – 1,362 Tuesday at 10 pm
Shreveport area – 3,541 Wednesday at noon
VALLEY DISTRICT (24,000 outages at peak- 18,965 at 3 pm Tuesday)
Hornbeck area – 2,143 Thursday at noon
Logansport area – 944 Wednesday at noon
Mansfield area – 7,273 Thursday at 5 pm
Natchitoches area – 8,605 Thursday at 5 pm
DOWNED LINES – Never touch a downed utility wire, no matter how harmless it looks. It can be difficult to distinguish between a power line and a cable or telephone line. All downed lines should be considered energized and dangerous. And don’t touch anything in contact with the line, such as trees, fences or puddles of water, since they can conduct electricity. Keep children and pets away from this potential hazard. Call SWEPCO to report any downed lines or equipment.
PORTABLE GENERATOR SAFETY – IF you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box. Portable generators “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.
