January 11, 2021 - Approximately 38,000 SWEPCO customers are without power as heavy, wet snow blankets East Texas and Louisiana.
Most outages are being caused by tree branches weighed down by snow coming into contact with a power line. Safety devices automatically de-energize the power lined when this occurs.
"SWEPCO teams are working tonight to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible,” said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Region Distribution Operations. “In the morning, crews from other SWEPCO locations as well as our sister company Public Service Company of Oklahoma and contractors will help us continue to restore power.”
At 9 p.m. Sunday, approximately 23,000 customers in East Texas and 15,000 customers in Louisiana were without power.
Always assume that any downed utility line is energized and stay away. Report downed lines immediately to SWEPCO at 1-888-218-3919.
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.
How to report, track outages
- Use the SWEPCO app, available for download via the App Store or Google Play.
- Sign up for text and email updates, including estimated time of restoration, at SWEPCO.com/Alerts.
- Visit SWEPCO.com/OutageMap to find detailed information without logging into your account.
- Call 1-888-218-3919 to report your outage.
For updates and photos, see SWEPCO.com and, follow SWEPCO on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Working safely
- Workers are practicing social distancing and other measures to stay healthy and prevent the spread of coronavirus, making the recovery effort especially challenging.
- Maintain at least six feet of physical distance between yourself and SWEPCO field personnel as we all play a crucial role in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
- Also, be careful when driving or walking in all utility crew work zones.
