The following has been released to Q93 from Cleco:
PINEVILLE, La. – Jan. 11, 2021 – Approximately 4,300Cleco customers are without power this morning due to ice and snow in parts of Louisiana that began last night and continued into early this morning.
“The majority of these outages are in north and central Louisiana which were hit the hardest. The roads and ditches are iced over, so in some instances the crews must find alternative routes or wait until conditions improvebefore restoration efforts can begin,” said James Lass, director of distribution operations and emergency management. “There are many challenges associated with restoring power in icy conditions, but our crews will work until power is restored to all customers.”
Reasons for power outages during ice and snow:
• Trees can become heavy and brittle due to the accumulation of ice and snow, breaking and falling onto our system.
• Power lines and other equipment can become damaged due to the weight of ice and snow on the system.
Safety tips:
• Operate portable generators outdoors in well-ventilated areas and plug appliances directly into generators with grounded extension cords. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet.
• Assume all downed power lines are live and stay away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 1-800-622-6537 and 911.
Power Outages as of 9 a.m.
DeSoto – 2,190
Evangeline – 32
Grant – 123
Iberia – 16
Lasalle – 11
Natchitoches – 96
Rapides – 545
Red River – 256
Sabine – 1,065
Vernon – 6
For updates on power outages, visit the Cleco Storm Center at www.cleco.com or follow the company on Facebook at @ClecoPower.
