LONGVIEW, Texas — In an update shared Friday evening, SWEPCO officials said it could take up to a week to restore power for its customers in the East Texas area after severe storms struck the region.
According to the electric company as of 6:30 p.m. Friday, more than 230,000 of SWEPCO customers are without power across its coverage areas in East Texas and northwest Louisiana.
Restoration times were listed, including for the Longview area, but could be fixed sooner. As of Friday night, the Longview service territory in Texas should see power restored by 10 p.m. Friday, June 23.
According to Mark Robinson, SWEPCO spokesperson, the Longview service territory includes a one-hour travel radius distance from east to west of Longview. This means the area goes as far east as Waskom and as far west as Grand Saline.
Other restoration times include:
- Shreveport service territory and surrounding communities in Louisiana – 10 p.m., Saturday, June 24
- Texarkana service territory in Texas – 10 p.m., Wednesday, June 21
- Natchitoches service territory in Louisiana – 10 p.m., Tuesday, June 20
SWEPCO said updates will be made as restoration times change.
In the statement, SWEPCO said that its crews are working tirelessly to restore power. The company shared photos of storm damage seen south of Shreveport.
"As a result of early morning storms on Friday that brought straight line and hurricane force winds to much of SWEPCO’s East Texas and northwest Louisiana service territories, SWEPCO has activated an all-in response to restore electric service to all impacted customers," SWEPCO said.
SWEPCO has also requested mutual assistance from neighboring utility companies. About 2,800 utility professionals are scheduled to arrive in the SWEPCO service territory starting Friday evening to assist in the restoration efforts.
"Due to excessive damage to our electrical facilities, SWEPCO customers should prepare for prolonged power outages and in some cases additional outages as we repair damage to our system. We will know more once damage assessment is completed. Customers should prepare to be without service for an extended period," the statement read.