Pineville, La. – Strong storms are predicted across Cleco’s service territory this afternoon through the night.

“According to weather models, a very active day is expected today with thunderstorms moving over southern Louisiana followed by a cold front that will bring additional thunderstorms across the region,” said James Lass, general manager of distribution operations and emergency management.  “Storms could be severe, capable of producing damaging winds, lightning and hail.” 

Cleco crews, along with 12 contractor crews, are on stand-by, prepared to respond to possible weather related outages. 

“While we don’t know how the storms will affect customers, it is important to be prepared,” said Lass.  “Our crews and equipment are ready to respond, and we encourage our customers to prepare, as well.” 

Cleco offers the following storm preparation tips:

• Prepare a storm kit – gather supplies you might need for an outage, including flashlight, batteries, canned food, manual can opener, bottled water, medication and a first aid kit.

• Charge cell phones, tablets and laptops.

• Do not connect portable generators to your home’s electrical wiring and never operate in an enclosed space like a garage.

• Following a storm, watch for downed lines and stay away if you see one. 

• Remember to call 911 or Cleco at 1-800-622-6537 to report an unsafe situation involving electricity.

• For additional safety tips, please visit www.cleco.com.

Cleco will continue to monitor the storm as the system moves through Cleco’s service territory.  For up-to-the-minute outage updates, go online to outage.cleco.com.