Cleco has provided an update at 3 p.m. Saturday on restoration efforts throughout the region and state in the aftermath of Hurricane Delta.
Crews are making progress, but some customers are expected to be without power overnight on Saturday. As of 7 p.m., crews have restored power to 40,012 customers, or 30 percent of the more than 132,000 customers who lost power due to Delta.
Outage reports indicate that at the height of the storm, more than 132,000 customers were without power. That number grew from an earlier estimate of nearly 125,000 customers.
"Damage assessment and power restoration efforts are in full gear," said James Lass, director of distribution operations and emergency management. "Our initial assessments show there is damage to our transmission and distribution systems, including broken poles, leaning poles, broken crossarms, downed power lines and trees on power lines. Additionally, another significant challenge during this storm is flooding. There are some areas we cannot access immediately due to high water."
Cleco currently has three helicopters patrolling its transmission and distributions systems by air. Ground patrols also are under way. However, some areas are not accessible due to flooding. In addition to Cleco personnel, the company has 2,100 contractors dedicated to restoration efforts. The company also has specialized equipment to access rural areas, including track hoes, bulldozers and marsh buggies. Restoration Assessment Below are estimated times for restoration (ETR). Please note that unexpected damage or inclement weather could impact restoration efforts and timelines.
Photos above are courtesy of Cleco
Below are customer outages by parish as of 7 p.m.
Parishes, Number of Customers Without Power, % of Customers Without Power
Acadia, 6,565, 93%
Allen, 5,896, 96%
Avoyelles, 3,774, 25%
Beauregard, 5,073, 96%
Calcasieu, 2,431, 96%
Catahoula, 18, 39%
Evangeline, 3,432, 21%
Grant, 4,366, 54%
Iberia, 21,139, 74%
Jefferson Davis, 39, 98%
Lasalle, 15, 100%
Natchitoches, 9, 1%
Rapides, 17,513, 41%
Sabine, Fewer than 5, Less than 1%
St. Landry, 9,546, 58%
St. Martin, 3,749, 96%
St. Mary, 2,930, 15%
St. Tammany, 8, 0%
Vermilion, 9, 100%
Vernon, 5,674, 96%
Washington, 6,565, 93%
Below updates are from 3 p.m.
Acadia Parish
Crowley - Restoration will be a multi-day event due to multiple broken poles.
Basile - Customers will be without power overnight.
St. Landry Parish
Opelousas - Power should be restored to Opelousas General Hospital tonight. Crews continue to work and make progress in the area. However, due to multiple broken poles, we expect roughly 6,500 residential customers will be without power overnight.
Eunice - Crews are working and making progress. However, we do expect some customers will be without power overnight.
Evangeline Parish
Ville Platte - Power has been restored to Mercy Regional Hospital. While crews continue to work and make progress, we do expect some customers will be without power overnight.
Mamou - Crews are working in the area. However, due to multiple broken poles, we expect 1,200 customers will be out overnight.
Pine Prairie - We expect power to be restored to customers tonight.
Avoyelles Parish
· Bordelonville - Due to flooding, customers will be without overnight.
· Mansura, Simmesport, Cottonport - Power has been restored to critical infrastructure. Some residential scattered outages remain. Crews are working but do expect some customers will be without power overnight.
Rapides Parish
· Town of Woodworth - Crews expect power restoration tonight.
· Forest Hill / Glenmora - No ETR at this time.
Allen Parish
· Oakdale, Oberlin, Kinder and Elizabeth - No ETR at this time.
Iberia Parish and St. Martin Parish
New Iberia:
· West end area of New Iberia was heavily impacted. Some customers' power will be restored today, and some customers will be without power overnight.
· Loreauville and Coteau Holmes - Crews will continue to work into the night. However, some customers will be without power overnight.
· Navy Base area - Crews will continue to work into the night. However, some customers will be without power overnight.
· Port of New Iberia area - High water, especially inside the Cleco substation, is making restoration efforts challenging for crews.
· Power restored to customers along Hwy. 14 in New Iberia.
St. Mary Parish Franklin, Patterson and Berwick
· Power has been restored to most customers. However, there may be small pockets of customers without power overnight.
· Bayou Sale - Crews are assessing damage.
· Centerville and Garden City - While there are multiple poles down, crews are working and expect power to be restored today.
· Cypremort Point - Power will not be restored today, as the area is inaccessible. Crews cannot cross the Intercoastal Bridge at this time.
Sabine Parish
Customers will be without power overnight. Natchitoches Parish Power will be restored to most customers tonight.
Vernon, Beauregard and Calcasieu Parishes
Crews are patrolling circuits, assessing damage and making repairs. It's expected this will be a multi-day restoration event.
Safety tips to follow after a storm:
· Report power outages by calling 1-800-622-6537 or online at cleco.com through MyAccount.
· 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.
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