Storm and Outage Details

• Severe weather that began late Friday in northeast Texas continued its destructive path elsewhere in the ArkLaTex and late Sunday toppled trees, damaged power infrastructure and disrupted power to SWEPCO customers.  

• SWEPCO crews are responding. Assessments are underway to begin restoring power as quickly and as safely as possible. 

• SWEPCO is mobilizing additional lineworkers and tree crews to support the expansive restoration effort. Help is coming from Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Alabama to assist restoring power. 

• Safety remains a significant concern. Please treat any downed lines as dangerous. Call 911 to report any hazards or call SWEPCO immediately at (888) 218-3919.

CURRENT SITUATION

Violent spring storms left a path of destruction this weekend. The damaging outbreak of severe weather, including approximately 120 tornado watches and warnings across the nation’s heartland, also delivered a blow closer to home in the ArkLaTex region.  

Across SWEPCO, the severe weather began in earnest in northeast Texas late Friday. Wind gusts downed trees, ripped through power lines, and toppled transmission towers that feed multiple communities and neighborhoods. Crews worked tirelessly to repair and replace the heavily damaged towers and other structures.  

The ArkLaTex region was hit again Sunday as residents sheltered in their homes amid multiple tornado warnings. Shreveport area meteorologists reported winds in excess of 70 mph. The National Weather Service also declared at least four tornado warnings in our service territory in northwest Louisiana, and southwest and western Arkansas. 

At peak, approximately 61,000 SWEPCO customers were without power. As of 10 a.m., power has been restored to roughly 22,000 customers and all hospitals and critical care customers are online. 

Dozens of crews from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Alabama are on the way to the SWEPCO service territory to provide mutual assistance to our line and tree crews with post-storm assessments and, where possible, safely begin work to restore all power. 

ASSESSING THE DAMAGE 

Crews were out before dawn to begin assessing the damage. An additional 61-line crews and 64 2-man teams are en route from several states to the SWEPCO territory with additional forestry resources to aid in the restoration effort. 

SWEPCO maintains approximately 30,000 miles of line across its service territory. Assessments include both digital and physical inspection. Crews patrol lines by plane and by car to assess the damage and identify the repairs needed. 

While you may not see a SWEPCO truck in your neighborhood, work could be performed many miles away on lines that provide power to your neighborhood. 

GET RESTORATION UPDATES 

By enrolling in our alerts at SWEPCO.com/Alerts, customers get updated restoration information. When our crews arrive on individual work sites, a more precise restoration time for the affected group of customers will be updated in our system and communicated through alerts if the customers have signed up to receive our notifications by phone or email. Updated information can also be found at SWEPCO.com/OutageMap.  

STAYING CONNECTED 

To receive the latest alerts and information from SWEPCO, customers should: 

• Report outages: SWEPCO.com/outage 

• Download the SWEPCO mobile app: SWEPCO.com/app 

• Follow SWEPCO on Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and YouTube  

• Make sure we have your most recent contact information at swepco.com/account/ 

NEXT UPDATE 

We will continue to keep you informed as more information becomes available. Updates will be provided at SWEPCO.com as well as other communication channels.