SHREVEPORT — Throughout the early hours of Monday morning, a strong band of severe weather began passing through North Louisiana packing high winds, heavy rainfall and lightning. The wave of thunderstorms is quickly moving south and should be out of the area by early afternoon.
In the storm’s wake, Entergy and SWEPCO report more than 50,000 customers without power across the region, from the Texas line eastward to the Mississippi River.
Utility crews are performing damage assessments and restoring power where conditions allow.
“My offices in Shreveport and Monroe are in touch with the power companies to monitor restoration of service,” said Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell. “Summer is upon us, and with it come the heat and humidity that make life difficult without power to run our air conditioners.
“The good news is that utility crews from outlying areas are coming to North Louisiana to help the power companies get the lights back on quickly. I’m advised that most customers will see their service back on by tonight.”
Campbell encouraged utility customers to sign up for outage alerts by telephone or email to get the latest restoration information from their electricity providers.
Companies coping with North Louisiana service disruptions in addition to Entergy and SWEPCO include Claiborne Electric, Panola-Harrison, Northeast Louisiana Power and CLECO.