Over 150,000 Without Power as SW Louisiana Hammered by Storms

OPELOUSAS, La. (KPEL News) - Across Louisiana, as many as nearly 190,000 utility customers at some point were without power as severe storms rocked the state early Wednesday morning.

Various utility companies are showing tens of thousands across southwest Louisiana and throughout Acadiana are currently suffering through outages.

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The major storms that rolled through south Louisiana Wednesday morning generated a lot of storm system warnings, including for severe wind and tornadoes. High winds can bring down trees, which in turn can down powerlines and disrupt utilities.

St. Landry Parish, which was among the hardest hit, has a lot of people without power, particularly in the Opelousas area.

32,000 people in St. Landry Parish are currently without power, with 68 percent of the parish without power, according to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office.

There are also 20 powerlines down north of Washington. State police are aware and en route to those locations. There are also about 30 roads with trees down at this time.

Trees down:

182 Harry Guilbeau Rd in Opelousas
Grand Marias Road in Leonville
Don Guilbeau Rd in Arnaudville
Mushroom Rd in Arnaudville
Judson Walsh Drive in Opelousas
School Rd in Lawtell
Borel Rd in Sunset
Edward Rd in Opelousas
Thelma Drive in Sunset
8 poles are down on Highway 10 — 2 miles north of I-49 in Lawtell

Powerlines Down:

Grolee and Raymond in Opelousas powerline down and debris
Auzenne Road in Leonville
Robert Daily Road in Sunset
Hypolite Miller Road in Sunset
Highway 90 near Chretien Point in Opelousas
7315 Highway 105 Road Blockage in Krotz Springs
107 Normal LeJeune Road in Krotz Springs
5450 Highway 31 tree on road in Opelousas

The website PowerOutage.US has detailed numbers for outages in Louisiana. The following utility companies are showing major issues.

Credit: PowerOutage.US

Here's a breakdown of the outages we're seeing at this time.

• Beauregard Electric Cooperative: 43,808 total customers, 20,426 without power.

• Claiborne Electric Cooperative: 23,909 total customers, 6,413 without power.

• Cleco Power: 300,140 total customers, 20,867 without power.

Credit: CLECO

• Dixie Electric Membership Corporation: 116,482 total customers, 47 without power.

• Entergy: 1,287,130 total customers, 50,246 without power.

Credit: Entergy

• Lafayette Utilities System: 70,000 total customers, 0 without power.

• Southwest Louisiana EMC: 113,729 total customers, 31,559 without power.

Credit: SLEMCO

• Southwestern Electric Power Co: 230,611 total customers, 15,241 without power.

• Washington St. Tammany Electric Cooperative: 52,899 total customers, 23 without power.

What to Do If Your Power Goes Out

According to the website Ready.gov, there are several things you need to make sure you remain safe, even in a power outage.

"Take an inventory of the items you need that rely on electricity," the website recommends when it comes to preparing for outages. "Plan for batteries and other alternative power sources to meet your needs when the power goes out, such as a portable charger or power bank. Have flashlights for every household member. Determine whether your home phone will work in a power outage and how long battery backup will last."

But when the outage comes, here's what you need to do (or don't do):

• Keep freezers and refrigerators closed.

• Use a generator, but ONLY outdoors and away from windows.

• Do not use a gas stove or oven to heat your home.

• Disconnect appliances and electronics to avoid damage from electrical surges.

• Have alternate plans for refrigerating medicines or using power-dependent medical devices.

• Check with local officials about heating and cooling locations open near you.

Hurricane Preparation, What Are the Items You Didn't Think Of?

When there is word that a hurricane might threaten the Gulf Coast, we start thinking about what items we need to make life bearable if we end up stuck at home without electricity and internet.

In addition to these creature comforts, we also need to think about the many things that we would need to take with us if we are forced to evacuate.

While we all immediately think of things like prescription medicines and important papers, there are other things that can come in handy whether we will be stuck at home, at a relative's house, or in a shelter.