Utility Outages due to winter weather

As we receive updates from Acadiana-area utility companies, we'll post that information here.

ENTERGY
Entergy restoration teams have safely restored power to 50,000 customers, more than half of the customers who lost service at the peak of the storm.

Damage assessments are nearly complete, which allows crews to fully focus on repairs. So far, identified damage includes approximately:

• 800 utility poles
• 2,600 spans of power line
• 190 transformers

We continue to ask residents to stay off the roads whenever possible. One of the biggest threats to our crews working on or near a roadway is a vehicle crashing into their work zone. When driving through a work zone, slow down and move to the far lane. If changing lanes is not possible, reduce your speed on approach.

Heavy traffic has also slowed crews trying to reach work sites during the day and delayed their return to lodging at night, extending already long and demanding workdays. Reducing traffic helps keep everyone safe and allows crews to restore power faster.

While line workers are restoring power in the field, our logistics and support teams are working behind the scenes to keep restoration moving. This includes delivering materials to staging areas, deploying generators to critical facilities, and arranging lodging for our growing number of restoration workers. We are incredibly grateful to the North Louisiana community for coming together, from offering land for equipment staging to housing crews and supporting mobile command centers.

We appreciate our customers’ patience as this complex restoration continues. Entergy Louisiana will keep providing updates as more information becomes available at entergy.com/stormcenter.

Customer information centers

To provide additional support while we work to restore service, Entergy Louisiana’s Customer Information Centers in areas heavily impacted by the recent winter storm will be open Jan. 30through Jan. 31.

At these centers, customers can receive the latest outage and restoration updates, hot food, learn about available assistance programs and community resources, charge mobile devices and speak directly with Entergy representatives.

The Customer Information Centers are located at:

• West Monroe Community Center - 400 S. 5th St, W. Monroe, LA 71292 (open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) 
• Bastrop City Hall - 202 E. Jefferson Ave Bastrop, LA  71220 (open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) 
• General Trass High School - 700 Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Lake Providence, LA 71254 (open Thursday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.).  

Estimated restoration times by parish*

*Please note, estimated restoration times reflect when 90% of customers in a given parish are expected to be restored.

Make sure your home or business is ready for us to restore your power. 

Customers whose neighborhoods have been restored but who are still without power may have damage to electrical equipment attached to their home or business.

We cannot restore power to a location with a damaged meter base, conduit or weatherhead (the metal pipe extending upward from the structure with electrical cables inside). These repairs must be made by a qualified electrician before Entergy can restore power. Click here to learn more about the electrical equipment that serves your home [entergynewsroom.com]. 

• Check for damage to your weatherhead [entergynewsroom.com], meter base or service entrance. 
• If damage is present, contact a licensed electrician to make repairs. 
• If equipment appears undamaged, text OUT to 36778 or call 1-800-9OUTAGE (800-968-8243). 
• After repairs are completed, call 1-800-ENTERGY (800-368-3749) to request service reconnection. 

What to expect during restoration

We understand how frustrating it can be to see crews leave an area before power is restored. Restoration follows a specific sequence based on how electricity flows through the system and prioritizes critical facilities such as hospitals. Crews will return as soon as upstream repairs are completed.

If you don’t see crews working nearby, it doesn’t mean they are not working to get your power restored. They may be repairing another part of the system that must be restored before power can safely reach your home.

For safety reasons, customers are asked not to approach workers at job sites, as these areas can be dangerous and interruptions may slow restoration progress.

Workforce safety protocols

To protect worker safety and manage fatigue, restoration personnel generally do not work more than 16 hours in a 24-hour period and do not exceed 13 consecutive days without a rest period. These protocols ensure crews can work safely and effectively while restoring power as quickly as conditions allow.

Entergy Louisiana remains focused on restoring power as safely and quickly as possible and appreciates customers’ patience during this challenging winter weather event.

Customer safety and community resources 

Customers should continue to prioritize safety while outages persist.

• Warming centers: Customers in need of shelter and warmth should consider local warming centers or shelters if it is safe to travel. To find a listing of available warming centers, visit GOHSEP’s Louisiana Warming Centers: https://gohsep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/9d47b24a528f43cf84633a2c04270706 [gohsep.maps.arcgis.com] 
• Road conditions: Please be aware that roads may be hazardous or closed during restoration efforts. Road conditions and closure information can be found here from Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development: https://www.511la.org/ [511la.org] 
• Generator safety: Never use generators indoors and never connect a generator directly to home wiring without proper transfer equipment. 
• Heating safety: Never use ovens, grills or outdoor heating devices to heat your home. 
• Downed power lines: Always assume downed lines are energized and dangerous — stay away and report them immediately by calling 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) or your local police/fire department. 

Be aware of scams

Customers are urged to remain on alert as severe weather increases scam attempts. Remember, Entergy will never demand immediate payment from customers over the phone. If a call sounds suspicious, hang up and call 1-800-ENTERGY (800-368-3749) to speak directly with an Entergy customer service representative.

Stay connected

Customers are encouraged to stay informed through Entergy’s Storm Center for real-time outage updates, safety information and restoration progress: www.entergy.com/stormcenter [entergy.com]

Download the Entergy app [entergy.com]. Customers can use the app to report outages or check on the status of power at their home or business.

Check Entergy’s View Outages [entergy.com] map. Maps show where outages are located and give information about restoration progress. Outages can be reported using the Entergy mobile app, online at myEntergy.com, or by texting OUT to 36778.

Storm-related updates are also shared on social media [entergy.com].

Entergy Louisiana’s storm team continues assessing damage and restoring power following a significant January winter storm that brought freezing temperatures, ice accumulation and hazardous conditions across Entergy’s Louisiana service territory. At this time, the company anticipates that 90% of customers in areas with favorable access along the I-20 corridor, including Ouachita parish, who can safely receive power, will be restored by Wednesday evening, Jan. 28. Restoration in other highly impacted, hard-to-access areas may experience restoration efforts continuing through the end of the day Thursday, Jan. 29. Please note, estimated restoration times are when 90% of a given parish is anticipated to be restored; Entergy Louisiana expects to restore power to most customers sooner. Please note that these estimates are subject to change as we complete our assessments and continue with restoration work in the affected areas. We will issue updates to these estimates as we learn more. Entergy Louisiana advises customers that if they live in a neighborhood that has had power restored but don’t have power at their home, they likely have electrical damage. For information about a home’s electrical equipment, visit entergynewsroom.com/storm-center/weatherhead [entergynewsroom.com].

• If a customer is without power, they should check for damage to the electrical equipment attached to their home or business. If there is damage, they should contact an electrician to make repairs.
• If electric equipment appears undamaged, text OUT to 36778 or call 1-800-9OUTAGE (800-968-8243).
• If damage has been repaired by a qualified electrician, call 1-800-ENTERGY (800-368-3749) to generate a service reconnection work order.
  

Additional resources continue to pour into the region from across Entergy’s service territory to bring power back to the nearly 91,500 customers who were without power. Entergy Louisiana begins restoring power to customers as safely and quickly as possible. To support the safety of our workforce and avoid fatigue, individuals are generally not allowed to work more than 16 hours in a 24-hour period and should never work more than 13 days in a row without a 24-hour rest period. This allows our restoration crews to get adequate rest and safely restore power when working. Our employees are prepared to work extended hours once conditions are safe, while following strict safety and fatigue-management protocols. Restoring power during winter storms is different from other weather events and requires a careful, step-by-step approach to protect both customers, workers and the electric grid. Before power can be restored, damage to infrastructure must be assessed. Damage assessment and restoration work has been slowed by downed vegetation blocking roadways and icy road conditions. Once it is safe to do so, crews begin evaluating damage to power plants, transmission lines, substations and local distribution equipment. Cold load pickup is the phenomenon that takes place when a distribution circuit is re-energized following an extended outage of that circuit. It is referred to as cold load pickup because the power supply has been unavailable for a period of time, so the load has reached a “cold” state before being re-energized. Customers can assist by turning off or unplugging their electric appliances during their outage, so they don’t all restart immediately as power is restored.
Customer safety and community resources 
Customers should continue to prioritize safety while outages persist.

• Warming centers: Customers in need of shelter and warmth should consider local warming centers or shelters if it is safe to travel. To find a listing of available warming centers, visit GOHSEP’s Louisiana Warming Centers: https://gohsep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/9d47b24a528f43cf84633a2c04270706 [gohsep.maps.arcgis.com]

• Road conditions: Please be aware that roads may be hazardous or closed during restoration efforts. Road conditions and closure information can be found here from Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development: https://www.511la.org/ [511la.org]

• Generator safety: Never use generators indoors or in and never connect a generator directly to home wiring without proper transfer equipment.
• Heating safety: Never use ovens, grills or outdoor heating devices to heat your home.
• Downed power lines: Always assume downed lines are energized and dangerous — stay away and report them immediately by calling 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) or your local police/fire department.

Be aware of scams
Customers are urged to remain on alert as severe weather increases scam attempts. Remember, Entergy will never demand immediate payment from customers over the phone. If a call sounds suspicious, hang-up and call 1-800-ENTERGY (800-368-3749) to speak directly with an Entergy customer service representative.

SLEMCO
UPDATE: SLEMCO reports that 530 customers remain without power as of Sunday afternoon, all in the Grand Prairie area. Field Crews said it should be much longer before power was restored there.

As of 10 a.m. Sunday, SLEMCO reported 2,700 customers without power, most of them in the northern parts of the company's system. Ice already has begun to build up and trees are falling. Here's what they tell us: "Wind has not been a problem and neither has lightning. Washington Service Center and contractor crews are on the scene and en route to restore power. Additional right-of-way crews and line crews from other service centers are headed that way to assist. We do not have a timeframe as of now. Things are very fluid and we will update every few hours. Report outages by calling 1-888-275-3636. You can also report via SmartHub.
Critically important: If you plan to use a standby generator, make certain the exhaust doesn't flow into your home. Carbon monoxide is odorless and can kill. Do not hook portable generators up to your breaker panel. This can backfeed the line and electrocute our line workers. Thank you for helping us keep them safe. Consider all downed power lines as energized and stay away. As always, we appreciate your patience. We will work just as hard and as fast as we safely can."

CLECO
Jan. 27, 2026 (10 a.m.) – Cleco crews and over 600 contractors worked into the night to continue restoration efforts following Winter Storm Fern. Power has been restored to 84 percent of the 17,800 customers who lost power.

“Our crews and contractors are making great progress despite the frigid conditions,” said Clint Robichaux, director of distribution operations and reliability. “Today will be the first day where temperatures in the Mansfield area will go above freezing which will melt ice, improve road conditions and help our crews with restoration efforts.”

Winter Storm Fern Power Outages as of 10 a.m.
Parish Number of customers without power
Avoyelles 127
DeSoto 1,774
Grant 240
Natchitoches 57
Rapides 278
Red River 12
Sabine 82
Total 2,570

As temperatures rise and conditions improve, Cleco reminds customers to stay away from downed power lines. Assume all downed power lines are energized. Do not touch power lines or anything touching the lines. Report downed power lines to Cleco at 1-800-622-6537 and 911.

For information on Winter Storm Fern restoration efforts, safety tips and more, visit Cleco’s Storm Center page at www.cleco.com/stormcenter [cleco.ciceronewsroom.com].

“At this point in the restoration process, we anticipate full restoration to our Rapides and Grant Parish customers by end of day today with some exceptions in the Flatwoods and Iatt Lake areas. And while we expect to make considerable headway in the Mansfield area today, most customers in the area will have power restored tomorrow with a small number of outages going into Wednesday,” said Robichaux. “While we’re working toward those goals, there is the possibility that crews uncover unexpected damage that could prolong some outages, but that is our best assessment at this point in the day.”

For information on Cleco’s restoration efforts visit the company’s Outage Map at www.cleco.com/outages [cleco.ciceronewsroom.com] and the Storm Center page at www.cleco.com/stormcenter [cleco.ciceronewsroom.com].

Winter Storm Fern Highlights

• At peak, 17,800 Cleco customers were without power.
• As of Jan. 26, 2026, at 2 p.m., Cleco has restored power to 71 percent of customers.
• In addition to all Cleco resources, the company has added 637 contractors.
• With freezing temperatures expected to persist this week, Cleco is suspending service disconnects through January 31, 2026.

Cleco is suspending service disconnects through January 31, 2026.

“With temperatures continuing to linger at or below freezing through most of this week, we are temporarily pausing service disconnects through January,” said Tracy Daigrepont, director of customer experience.

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.

For the most up to date information on Winter Storm Fern, visit Cleco’s Storm Center page on www.cleco.com/stormcenter [cleco.ciceronewsroom.com] and follow the company on Facebook @ClecoPower.