The following has been released to Q93 from Cleco: 
 

 

Pineville, La., Oct. 9, 2020 (7 p.m. update) – Hurricane Delta made landfall this evening along the coast of southwest Louisiana.  As the storm moves across the state, over 41,000customers are without power.  

In addition to Cleco personnel, the company has a storm workforce of roughly 2,100 contractors, which includes damage assessors, distribution line mechanics, distribution and transmission vegetation specialists and transmission contractors, ready to restore power after the storm passes.  

“The safety of our crews, contractors and customers is priority in everything we do.  Once conditions are safe, damage assessments will begin by land and air, and crews will begin restoring power,” said James Lass,” director of distribution operations and emergency management.  “We follow our storm restoration plan, focusing our efforts on critical infrastructure such as water and sewage systems, hospitals and medical facilities, and then moving to the circuits with the largest number of customers until power is restored to all customers.”

Below are customer outages by parish as of 7 p.m.

Parish	Number of Customers Without Power
Acadia	3,269
Allen	5,435
Avoyelles	1,206
Beauregard	3,804
Calcasieu	114
Evangeline	4,202
Grant	510
Iberia	11,879
Jefferson Davis	39
Rapides	5,680
Red River	5
St. Landry	1,045
St. Martin	514
St. Mary	2,028
St. Tammany	72
Vermilion	9
Vernon	1,553
Total	41,364

 

Customers are encouraged to follow the safety tips below during and after a storm:

• Listen to local radio and television stations for power outage and restoration status reports.

• Operate generators in well-ventilated areas, away from combustible material and keep free of oil, mud and other foreign matter. Plug appliances directly into portable generators with grounded extension cords that can handle the load. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet. It could back feed electricity through your home's wiring to the entire Cleco circuit and cause injury or death to a worker attempting to repair that circuit. Don't exceed the rated capacity of the generator and only refuel when the engine is off and cool.

• Assume all downed power lines are live and stay away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 1-800-622-6537 and 911. Don't step in nearby puddles or attempt to move any object that comes in contact with a downed power line.

• If water is rising, turn off electricity at the main breaker, evacuate and stay away until waters have completely receded. Have a licensed electrician check the wiring before using electricity.     

 

Customers can find the latest storm updates on the company’s Storm Center page at cleco.com and Cleco’s Facebook page @ClecoPower.